A weighty matter for Webber
The weight is the enemy of performance in Formula 1, indeed, the heavier a single-seater, the slower it will be. Each component is therefore designed to be as strong and as light as possible, which has allowed F1 to be a pioneer in certain technologies. But the search for minimal weight also applies to the drivers.
Not all Formula One Circus drivers are equal when it comes to this weight criterion, especially tall drivers like Mark Webber, for example. The majority of drivers lost weight at the beginning of the season to accommodate the KERS in their cars in order to install it without adding too much weight to the cars – even though the FIA decided to increase the minimum weight of an F1 car from 620 Kg to 640 Kg this year.
Mark Webber seems to be questioning his ideal weight as he weighs 75 kg while his teammate Sebastian Vettel weighs 64 kg – Webber is 1.85m tall compared to Vettel’s 1.75m. The Australian driver does not want to use this difference as an excuse for his lack of results – and particularly victories – this season, but he would like his car to undergo a slight weight reduction to compensate for this difference: “It would be nice if the team could find a gram here and there (to reduce the weight of my car),” Webber told the Kolner Express.
The Aussie driver explained that he had never been as slim as today and that it was difficult for him to lose more, before adding that he might perhaps get a haircut.
Lewis Hamilton also revealed that he had questioned his weight, particularly in 2008 and 2009 when Heikki Kovalainen was racing alongside him.
When Heikki Kovalainen was my teammate, it was incredible! He weighs nothing, maybe 60 kilos. So I thought ‘I need to lose weight’ but I never managed to reach his weight, said Lewis Hamilton, as quoted by YallaF1.
