- 07 Apr 14, 13:29#398124
Okay, so, we all knew that the situation was ridiculous to start with. Drivers who were already very lean were being told to lose even more weight in order to bring the total weight for the cars down. Taller guys, like Hülkenberg and Sutil, didn't have much left that they could lose to begin with. In the last race, Sutil said that he had run with a reduced-capacity water bottle and had run without one in Australia. I've just finished reading this article, where Vergne explains he was in hospital between the first two races as a result of extreme weight-loss attempts.
It's ridiculous that something hasn't been done about this already, and even more so that the lighter drivers (Massa's name has been brought up a few times in recent coverage) are blocking a change that makes it fair (and safe) for all drivers. I think this is something that the FIA really need to look at, since the teams are clearly putting the drivers in an unhealthy situation, and some of the drivers are helping to make it worse for their colleagues.
The question, of course, is what? If the minimum weight for driver plus car is increased, this may mean that some cars (particularly the Sauber) are no longer massively overweight, but I don't think it will help the drivers much as the team will want to make that extra weight ballast and put it in the most beneficial parts of the car to gain performance. Would it be possible to implement a minimum weight for the driver and seat (I don't know if the seat is a fixed piece once it's been moulded or a removable one - I'm guessing the latter, to facilitate driver changes), separate to the car's weight? That would remove the teams' ability to place the weight anywhere other than where the driver is, meaning they wouldn't gain any advantage from continuing to force the driver to maintain an unhealthy weight and lose the benefit of having fluids available to them during a race (especially places like Malaysia and Bahrain, which are very hot).
Does anyone have any other ideas? I worry that this situation won't be resolved until it's gone way too far, and a driver passes out in the car at some point. :/
It's ridiculous that something hasn't been done about this already, and even more so that the lighter drivers (Massa's name has been brought up a few times in recent coverage) are blocking a change that makes it fair (and safe) for all drivers. I think this is something that the FIA really need to look at, since the teams are clearly putting the drivers in an unhealthy situation, and some of the drivers are helping to make it worse for their colleagues.
The question, of course, is what? If the minimum weight for driver plus car is increased, this may mean that some cars (particularly the Sauber) are no longer massively overweight, but I don't think it will help the drivers much as the team will want to make that extra weight ballast and put it in the most beneficial parts of the car to gain performance. Would it be possible to implement a minimum weight for the driver and seat (I don't know if the seat is a fixed piece once it's been moulded or a removable one - I'm guessing the latter, to facilitate driver changes), separate to the car's weight? That would remove the teams' ability to place the weight anywhere other than where the driver is, meaning they wouldn't gain any advantage from continuing to force the driver to maintain an unhealthy weight and lose the benefit of having fluids available to them during a race (especially places like Malaysia and Bahrain, which are very hot).
Does anyone have any other ideas? I worry that this situation won't be resolved until it's gone way too far, and a driver passes out in the car at some point. :/
