Red Bull Building A Lighter Chassis To Reduce RB-18s Weight! Will Undergo FIA Crash Tests

The weight limit of the newly designed F1 cars has been a concern for all the teams since the start of 2022. All the teams were reported to be above the original 795 kilograms cap. The only team that came close to the limit was Alfa Romeo, with 798 Kilograms of weight. The teams have been actively looking for ways to scrape the extra weight off their cars, and many teams have managed to get close to the allowed limit. Williams and Aston Martin stripped the layers of pain from their car. Meanwhile, Red Bull managed to achieve the weight cap at the Spanish GP. However, the new technical and Flexi Floor regulations has again raised concerns about the weight as the TD will come into effect at the Belgian GP.

As per Auto Motor and Sport, Mercedes are eight kilograms over the limit, while Red Bull has seven kilograms of extra weight. Haas and McLaren have three kgs each, Alpine has two, while Ferrari and Alpha Tauri\’s weight is still unknown. The increase in stiffness as a result of the regulation change is expected to affect the teams. Hence, Red Bull has decided to make a big move that will affect its cost cap. The Austrian outfit is set to take a financial hit by rebuilding a lighter chassis. They will put it through multiple FIA crash tests to make it track legal.

Will The New Part Help Red Bull?

The estimated cost required to build the lighter frame and get it approved by the F1 governing body is around two million pounds. Thus, Red Bull is playing a big gamble to make their car lighter. The second half of the championship is about to kick off. And Red Bull is in a comfortable situation already. They have a 97-point lead in the constructors\’ championship, while Max Verstappen is leading the drivers\’ standings by 80 points. Thus, if Red Bull manages to get their car lighter compared to other teams, they would continue to have an advantage in the championship.

Meanwhile, Mercedes are not very thrilled about the idea of building the chassis and spent the limited money they have. One of the Mercedes officials suggested that rebuilding the chassis would be too expensive. He added, \”Not just because of the crash tests. You have to build three new chassis, and they cost you two million extra.\”