The past season saw the debut of the new ground effect Formula 1 cars. The new regulation, considered revolutionary in some ways, proved to be strict but less restrictive than initially thought. In fact, the F1 cars appeared to be different in terms sidepod appearance, the nose, as well as the floor, with different choices also in terms of the wheelbase of the cars, albeit less clear than the previous generation. However, one of the main factors that had the greatest impact on performance was undoubtedly the weight.
Red Bull won the 2022 Formula 1 world championship (also) thanks to an intelligent design and development strategy of the RB18
Two important examples are Mercedes and Red Bull, the two teams that had to spend more resources in the 2021 Formula 1 season given that a world title was at stake, which was eventually won by Max Verstappen in the last and much talked about round in Abu Dhabi. This situation determined the two teams to have to make compromise winter choices with a view to 2022, focusing a lot on the aeromechanical basis of their cars, leaving development in terms of weight open during the season.
This strategy was designed to maximize time gains over the course of the races given that it is easier to find performance through the introduction of lightened components rather than pure aerodynamic updates. In fact, in addition to the direct gains from the kilograms removed (10 kg on average are 3 tenths), there are also indirect gains linked to a better distribution of weights.
For Red Bull it proved to be a clearly winning choice while for Mercedes it was not possible to evaluate it due to the significant problems, such as the aerodynamic bouncing, which occurred once the W13 ‘zeropods’ were put on the track and ruined the team’s initial plans. Many resources, which would have been used for weight reduction, were instead used to first understand and solve the porpoising issues, then the bouncing that appeared after the package of innovations brought to Barcelona. Only in Austin did the former world Constructors champion team manage to bring the first important package to the track designed specifically to slim down its car, with more than important and obvious benefits.
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In the case of Red Bull, it should be underlined that initially the RB18 had to bear a greater than expected extra weight due to the failed side crash test. In fact, the Anglo-Austrian team had to intervene by reinforcing the chassis structure which meant an increase in kilograms.
If at the beginning of last season, the Federation granted a minimum weight increase to help the teams, next season there will be a reduction of 2 kg, with the minimum weight going from 798 kg to 796 kg. This is because the governing body of the top four-wheeled motorsport series expects that many teams can still be close to the minimum weight allowed, after a year of understanding and developing their new generation cars. Listening to the opinions of some F1 technicians and crossing them with the rumors that emerge, the 2023 cars of the top teams will all be very close in terms of weight, as confirmed by F1 experts Piergiuseppe Donadoni and Paolo D’Alessandro for formu1a.uno.
On the other hand, it should be emphasized that the engines will weigh at least 1 kg more, rising to a total of 151 kg. An increase dictated by the fact that the total weight will also include components that were previously part of the chassis weight, such as the ducts of the plenum chamber. Something which Ferrari and Renault don’t mind, given the fact that they had the two units which were more uncomfortable in this respect. For Ferrari, a minimal weight increase will be even more useful after the corrections made to the 2022 unit, that required an increase in weight to reinforce the unit.
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