Formula 1 is set to introduce a minimum driver weight in 2019 as part of a plan to avoid penalising heavier drivers.
During a meeting of the F1 Strategy Group this week, the proposal was tabled that car and driver weight should once again be split, like it was prior to 1995, with a minimum car and driver weight specified in the regulations.
Driver weight has become an issue again, with the FIA raising the overall minimum weight for 2018 to 734kg, taking into account the Halo. However estimates have actually put the overall Halo weight at between 12-14kg with mounting points and changes to the chassis, thus reducing the scope for performance ballast and therefore penalising heavier drivers.
For 2019, it's believed an 80kg weight will be specified for the driver, meaning any driver weighing under that limit will have to run ballast equal to their deficit – to avoid teams using that ballast unfairly, i.e. by placing it strategically to balance the car, it will have to be positioned under the seat in a pre-determined location.
Although drivers weighing more than 80kg will still be penalised slightly, the system should make it fairer overall and avoid drivers having to drastically lose weight which led to some health concerns in recent seasons, including drivers racing without water bottles to avoid carrying excess weight.
The weight of the car, which will again rise by 6kg in 2019, will be 660kg without the driver and seat, therefore giving engineers a specific target to aim for, rather than having to take into account the weight of their two drivers – which could fluctuate during the off-season.
