Why F1 Cars Have Gained Hundreds of Kilograms Over the Years

Seventy-five years ago, the winning Alfa Romeo in the first F1 world championship weighed between 650 and 700kg. When F1 introduced a minimum weight in 1961, it was 450kg. Today, the minimum is 800kg (including the driver). Even compared to 1995 when car and driver weight was first combined (595kg), that's an increase of 205kg in three decades.

FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis commented on the weight gain:

"We'd all like the cars to be a lot lighter... It's a trade-off between financials, technological freedom and how cutting-edge Formula 1 is, environmental considerations, and excitement."

Around 100kg of the weight gain comes from hybrid powertrains. The minimum weight for a hybrid power unit is 151kg, significantly heavier than the 90-100kg V10 engines of the late 1990s. This figure doesn't include the more complex cooling systems now required.

About 50kg is attributed to safety features like stronger side-impact structures and the halo. While clever engineering helps, added strength generally means added weight. This is a trade-off deemed essential for driver safety.

The remaining 55kg or so is due to a mix of factors, including:

• Wider cars and wheels: This was partly a result of wanting a more aggressive look but added weight and made overtaking harder. While wheel widths are slightly reduced for next year, the overall impact remains.
• Aerodynamic and mechanical complexity: Modern cars are much more complicated due to advanced simulation capabilities. Features like fully profiled cooling ducts and complex floor systems add incremental weight.

Returning to simpler designs is difficult because teams won't easily give up performance gains. The planned 30kg weight reduction for the 2026 season is seen by some engineers as a challenge to achieve. For a significant weight reversal, teams would need to abandon some long-held performance features.