FIA detail ambitious plans to lower F1 car weight in rules overhaul

The FIA's single-seater technical director has explained plans to cut F1 car weights by nearly 70kg by the time of the next regulation cycle. 

The maximum weight of the 2026 machines is 768kg, with this being a reduction of 30kg from the 798kg dry weight in 2025 at the end of the ground effects era.

By the end of the four-year cycle, the cars had ballooned in weight, in part due to the 18-inch wheel rims and bigger tyres, as well as the increased safety devices now used, including the cockpit protection and halo head protection device.

For the next rules cycle, it is clear that F1 will be returning to V8 engines and drop the turbo hybrids, with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem hopeful this can happen by 2030 or 2031.

It is hoped through a concerted effort that car weights could drop below 700kg for the next rules cycle. 

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FIA's weight reduction hopes

Explaining the coming work to try to get cars back under 700kg, Tombazis explained where the hoped-for-savings would come from. 

"We are looking to reduce turbo pressures significantly," Tombazis told The Race.

"That will reduce the pressures both inside the engine and the dimensions of the turbocharger.

"We plan to significantly reduce the complexity of both the inlet and the outlet of the engines - as currently they have a very complex 'spaghetti' of ducts leading into the engine.

"The exhausts are also all tuned for length and so on, so we plan to shorten and simplify those areas a lot."

With the heavy battery systems being dropped for the V8 engines as opposed to the V6 turbo hybrids, further weight savings are planned from this, with a reduction in wheel rim size also anticipated to bring sizeable savings.

Finally, it is hoped that cars will not be required to use as heavy aerodynamic parts when they are lighter and smaller, with this bringing a virtuous circle in terms of weight saving. 

"When we do the shopping list and add everything up, we can get quite comfortably below 700kg," Tombazis added.

"Now we are conscious that when we discuss things, there will be some kickback in some areas. We'll have to compromise a bit.

"There will be concerns about certain costs, but overall our target is to be below 700kg, and I think it will be a significant step to make the cars more exciting."

Refuelling will not be reintroduced for the first time since 2009, owing to the added expense, complexity, and dangers of it, and the fact that it limits opportunities for strategic variance.