F1 and the FIA pushing for lighter cars in the next iteration of regulations

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem recently spoke about how the 2026 cars should be lighter in weight to improve safety and overall complexity.

There have been several criticisms about how heavy and difficult to drive modern F1 cars are. Hence, senior figures in the sport are working on lowering the car's weight.

Speaking to Motorsport.com, Mohammed Ben Sulayem explained his understanding of how the sport will drastically benefit from lighter cars, which will make them safer. He stated that he himself comes from a rally racing background and understands how bad it is to have a heavy car.

"One thing I would like to see is very clear: we need a lighter car," he said. "I believe this is better. I come from motorsport, where lighter cars are safer and they won’t use the same amount of fuel. It will be hard to achieve, but everybody wants it. So I am pushing because I come from rallying, where nothing is worse than having a heavy car."

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali also spoke about the weight reduction and how modern cars are getting heavier due to the hybrid engines that include batteries. He assured that the topic will be raised in future meetings when the sport lays down new regulations for 2026.

He said:

“One of the points that has always been a debate has been the weight. As you know, with the hybrid engines, with the batteries, the weight is getting higher and that is something that is not really in the nature of Formula 1. So, it’s a topic for discussion for the future.”

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George Russell on F1 cars being too heavy

Mercedes driver George Russell also addressed the issue of cars being too heavy. He said that the heft of the cars makes them less snappy around the low-speed corners and that they feel like a bus whenever they crash, which is more dangerous. Russell said (via Autosport):

"The big one [issue] is the weight. The weight is extraordinary. At the moment, the low-speed performance is not great. We keep making these cars safer and safer, but obviously the heavier you make them when you have an impact it’s like crashing with a bus compared to a Smart Car."

The Mercedes driver continued:

“And I’m sure there’s analysis going on about striking that right balance because I don’t know where the line is drawn. If you just keep making it heavier, heavier, heavier, stronger, stronger, stronger – actually you get to a point where you cross over that [line] that too heavy is actually not safer.”

There are high chances that F1 will have lighter cars in 2026, when there will be another major regulation change, especially for power units.