Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul believes the weight of today’s Formula 1 cars means they are no longer “spectacular”.
In just 10 years, the minimum legal weight has increased from 605kg to 740kg mostly from the change to hybrid power units and improvements in safety such as Halo.
And while the huge advances in downforce have meant record lap times are still being set, Abiteboul says he is a big advocate for putting the cars on a diet.
“I’m sensitive to anything involving weight,” he told France’s Auto-Hebdo. “Increasing weight and mass is wrong, and that goes for Formula 1 as well.
Also Read:
- Hamilton: F1 should be ‘exhausting like a marathon’ for drivers
- Verstappen reveals changes he hopes to see in F1 in 2021
“This is something I regularly fight for: the reduction of weight, for a better driving experience but also for the show.
“Today’s cars aren’t spectacular enough because they’re too heavy, but we don’t all agree on this. [Mercedes boss] Toto [Wolff] typically has a different opinion.
“Personally, I think the cars should be more powerful and lighter.”
The Renault chief then gave an example of how the bulkier cars impact the challenge for the drivers.
“In the third sector in Barcelona, at the chicane, you can see that the modern F1 car is just sitting there, looking bulky,” he claimed.
“In that sector, the driver isn’t struggling and that’s a problem because it gives the impression that anybody could do it and that isn’t true.
“F1 should restore that feeling [of difficulty], even visually, for the spectators and the TV viewers.
“People should feel that it’s something exceptional that few could achieve.”
