Formula 1 needs to implement an urgent regulation change at once. Luca di Montezemolo has recently been saying the same. But we’re not reading off the same hymn sheet as the petulant Italian.
Forget engine noise. Forget fuel flow limits. There is a far more important aspect that needs addressing urgently before it does any more damage.
The weight regulation.
It might not sound like a big issue, but with the revelation that Jean-Eric Vergne was hospitalised between the Australian and Malaysian grands prix due to extreme weight loss and Adrian Sutil’s decision not to race with a drinks bottle because it adds weight, it’s something that must be looked at with the utmost urgency.
At present, the weight limit (the minimum a car must weigh throughout the F1 weekend) stands at 691kg. That includes everything – including the driver – but not fuel.
As a result, drivers are having to lose weight to ensure they’re not penalised. The teams are trying to do their part to reduce the cars weight, which allows for more ballast to be placed, but they can only do so much. Sauber for example are already 20kg over the weight limit and will soon introduce a lighter chassis in the hope of gaining back the five-tenth loss.
A proposal to increase the weight limit has been discussed, as has a driver/seat weight equality rule. In effect that would mean a driver who weighs 75kg would have a seat weight of 5kg to total 80kg, whilst a 65kg driver would have 15kg of ballast added to their seat to balance things out.
Some lighter drivers have rejected the proposal to protect their weight advantage. Felipe Massa is strongly opposed to the idea. At 59kg he is the lightest on the grid.
“If you have a team with a heavier engine or a heavier car then it’s up to them to do a better job. This is part of the situation now,” he said in Bahrain.
“I am light and I’m happy to be light, but even if I was 10kg heavier I would still not have any problem with the car for my weight.
“So it’s about how each team does their job to be as light as possible with the car. It’s not just the drivers, it’s different things.”
Vergne, who confirmed he had to go to hospital as he felt “very weak” after the Australian GP, described the current situation as “stupid”.
“The weight difference between myself and my team-mate was making me lose four-tenths,” he revealed. “I did a diet this winter but you get to certain limits that the body can no longer take.
“Frankly, this is stupid. Formula 1 cars are very difficult to drive and we need all of our skills. Being forced to lose weight is not good.”
It’s come to a point where this is becoming dangerous. It’s the FIA’s job to ensure the safety of every driver. The governing body has the power to implement urgent regulation changes on safety grounds without consulting the drivers or teams.
It’s about time the FIA stepped in and removed this danger.
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