Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Casto
I welcome any idea of the car being smaller, lighter as long as it doesn't revert any safety feature (which they will not do). I can see making it shorter will reduce some weight. Yes, MGU-H will take some weight away. But is it not expected that the battery is going to be larger in 2026? The 2026 total power unit solution... do we really know if it is net "negative" with respect to weight?
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No, we don't. As pointed out above it is a result of choosing a drive train that provides them with a soft landing towards fully electric in the future (that's also one of the reasons why they need to work on reducing drag).
I think a simple V6 turbo, with a light and simple hybrid system (KERS as used earlier), reduced drag and synthetic fuel would've have been more than enough from a sustainability point of view. That would have provided a much lighter car. Around 700-725kg would be possible with reduced dimensions and current safety standards. They could have even gone for a 1.5L V4 to shave even more weight and size of the thing (1.5L being the capacity limit of the eighties inline-4 turbo's).
Oh well, I understand the manufacturers and the FIA want to slowly migrate to more electrification even if it is only for appearances. Better some reduction in size and weight than nothing at all. Any ways, I'm quite confident wheels and tyres will be part of that equation, but let's wait and see.