The Aston Martin F1 team scraped “350g” of paint from the AMR22 to address the weight issues of the 2022 F1 machine.
The new generation 2022 F1 machine is heavier than last year due to the shift to 18-inch tires and changes in chassis structure to improve safety, and the minimum weight has increased by 46 kg to 798 kg. ..
However, all teams except the Alfa Romeo F1 team are said to be struggling to reach their minimum weight, and are said to be as heavy as 10kg.
Of course, it has a big impact on lap times, so the Aston Martin F1 team stripped the paint from the ARM22 parts to achieve a “350g” lighter weight.
“Weight is a big issue,” explained Andrew Green, chief technology officer of the Aston Martin F1 team.
“These cars are heavier due to regulation, so it’s a challenge to reduce them to regulated weight.”
“We looked all over the car from front to back and stripped as much paint as possible.”
“I think I saved regarding 350g in total.”
But it’s not just a midfield issue. Last year’s driver’s championship winner, Red Bull Racing, is also struggling.
Red Bull Racing is demanding a minimum weight increase, Auto Motor und Sport reports that the RB18 was “significantly overweight” and team representative Christian Horner wanted to increase the minimum weight by 20kg.
As a result, the FIA (International Automobile Federation) has agreed with the team to increase the weight by 3kg from the original 795kg.
Red Bull Racing chief engineer Paul Monaghan is concerned that even if the minimum weight is reached, the car might exceed it if an upgrade is introduced early in the championship.
“It’s difficult to keep these cars below the weight limit,” said Paul Monaghan.
“Then, especially in this early stage, the more the car evolves, the more the minimum weight tends to sneak up.”
“From there, it takes effort to reduce the weight to restore the weight.”
“Everyone is in the same fight. In the position where we stand compared to everyone else, we’ll have to ask the FIA, but that’s a good fight.”
Category: Category: F1 / Aston Martin / F1 machine
