26/05/2022
NEWS STORY
Adrian Newey, arguably one of the finest technical directors to grace the sport, believes that F1 is going in the wrong direction with its move towards bigger, heavier cars.
The Briton, who has designed championship-winning cars for Williams, McLaren and Red Bull, believes that while certain aspects of the new regulations work, fears that the new minimum weight is too much. Indeed, this year's minimum is more than 170kg up on the minimum in 2000, when his MP4/15, in the hands of Mika Hakkinen, was battling with Michael Schumacher's Ferrari for the title.
"I think the principle of helping cars to overtake by reducing the sensitivity of the following car to the one in front is fine," he tells Motorsport Magazin. "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," he adds. "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."
However...
"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," he continues. "And we are all working like crazy to achieve the currently prescribed minimum weight.
"In short, the cars have become bigger and heavier and not particularly aerodynamically efficient because they have a lot of drag.
"Obviously this wrong direction is the same in which the general automotive industry has developed recently," he adds, "bigger and heavier cars and people obsessing over whether they are going to run on batteries or gas.
"But the biggest problem is the amount of energy it takes to move the damn thing, regardless of where that energy is coming from."
His solution...
"Low weight and aerodynamic efficiency are the two most important characteristics," he says. "Obviously some of the safety issues become a self-reinforcing issue. The heavier the car, the stronger it needs to be. In my opinion, we need smaller, lighter and more energy-efficient cars."
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