F1 teams remove paint from cars: "Weight is a problem for all but one"

With the exception of Alfa Romeo's C42, all Formula One cars are currently overweight. Getting rid of that weight is proving to be a challenge due to the limitations imposed by the budget ceiling. Therefore, every extra gram, where possible, is taken off the car. Here and there, even paint is scraped off the cars.

The new cars for 2022 have become a lot heavier. As a result, the minimum weight increased from 752 to a record 798 kilograms. The only team that managed to stay under the limit was Alfa Romeo. They even had to add extra ballast to meet the lower limit.

Teams take paint off car to lose weight

Red Bull Racing's RB18 also suffers from excess weight, Helmut Marko confirmed. The budget cap means that teams can no longer put everything into solving that problem as quickly as possible, and so creative interim solutions are being devised.

For example, several teams have taken paint off of parts. Aston Martin previously indicated that it was not painting some parts in order to save 350 grams. Other teams are also falling back on that solution. "A complete paint job weighs about six kilograms," said Sauber team manager Beat Zehnder according to Auto, Motor und Sport.

So Red Bull also had to do it: the Austrian racing team removed paint from the lower two wing elements after the winter test in Bahrain. The same goes for Mercedes, McLaren and Williams, who all removed paint from various parts. As McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl confirmed: "Weight is a problem for all but one." So Alfa Romeo can enjoy an advantage for now.