Russell warns of safety risk in new F1 cars: 'Bigger impact'

George Russell fears that the weight of current Formula 1 cars is becoming a potential safety problem. The Mercedes driver points to the impact in a crash, which is much greater with a heavier car.

For the 2022 F1 season, the minimum weight requirement was 798 kilograms. That is almost 50 kilograms heavier than a year earlier, when the cars still weighed 752 kilograms. Moreover, many teams struggled to reach the minimum weight, exceeding 800 kilograms.

Russell warns of F1 car safety risk

Russell believes the weight is a potential safety risk and therefore points to it as the biggest problem with the new bolides. He calls the weight "extraordinary". "At the moment, the low-speed performance is not great," says the Mercedes driver in conversation with Motorsport.com.

Although he sees F1 cars becoming safer and safer, weight detracts from that, according to the Briton. He points out that the impact in a crash is increased by the extra weight. "It's like crashing with a bus compared to a Smart Car," Russell compares. He stresses that care must be taken not to make the cars even heavier, as this could potentially compromise safety.

Red Bull Racing and Mercedes were among the most overweight cars in 2022, although Red Bull shaved quite a few kilos off during the season. In contrast, Toto Wolff indicated early in the season that his team could do little more in terms of weight saving. Possibly that was not a priority either given the major problems plaguing the W13.