F1 needs 'smaller, lighter and more energy-efficient cars', says Red Bull's legendary engineer

Adrian Newey recently spoke about how F1 needs smaller, lighter cars that are more energy-efficient than current generation machinery.

The veteran designer feels that the sport has been heading in the wrong direction across the last decade with the introduction of increasingly heavier and larger cars. Speaking to Motorsport Magazin, he said:

“In my opinion, we need smaller, lighter and more energy-efficient cars.

“In just a few years, the weight limit has increased from a low 600kg and 30-40kg of ballast on board to cars with 800kg and more. And we are all working like crazy to make that happen to achieve the currently prescribed minimum weight.”

Since 2014, F1 cars have had a significant increase in dimensions and mass, while the sport has experimented with varying aerodynamic regulations.

The 2022 generation cars are the largest and heaviest cars in F1 history, weighing more than 100 kilograms compared to the previous generation. Most of the additional mass comes from a more robust safety requirement.

However, Newey felt that safety issues were “self-reinforcing”, necessitating more mass as the car the gets larger in dimensions. Furthermore, given F1’s commitments to cutting down its carbon footprint, he questioned whether it was right to move towards ever larger cars that require more energy. He added:

“Obviously some of the safety issues become a self-reinforcing issue. The heavier the car, the stronger it needs to be.

“This wrong direction is the same in which the general automotive industry has recently developed. The biggest issue is the amount of energy it takes to move the damn thing, regardless of where that energy comes from.”

2022 F1 regulations haven’t significantly impacted racing: Newey

Adrian Newey doesn’t believe the 2022 aerodynamic regulations have had a significant impact on racing. While he conceded that the new rules have improved the cars’ ability to follow each other, he felt that it also widened the gap between the teams. He said:

“I think the principle of helping cars to overtake by reducing the sensitivity of the following car to the one in front is fine. I think it helps to be able to overtake a little better. I don’t think it’s a significant change, but it will help a little.

“If you make such a significant rule change, which inevitably brings with it many other changes, then it will probably lead to the field expanding further in the first few seasons.”

The new regulations were specifically with the aim of fixing one of F1’s biggest gripes in recent years – lack of overtaking. While the resulting cars have so far proven to be good at closely following each, there is still skepticism about the overall success of the new regulations.