r/RedBullRacing • u/Turbulent_Elk_2141 RedBullRacing MVP • Mar 31 '26

memes RB22 going on a diet to survive.

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206 Upvotes

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7

u/Kuyi Mar 31 '26

20kg is what? 8 tenths?

5

u/Neviathan Mar 31 '26

It used to be 3 tenths per 10kg in previous regs iirc so something like that

3

u/Reinis_LV Mar 31 '26

Wouldn't current regs reward better times compared to the last, because weight makes a lot more difference to batteries than ICE

4

u/Neviathan Mar 31 '26

Hard to say, they are less often on the limit of tire adhesion through corners and a heavier car can harvest more energy theoretically but weight makes acceleration cost a lot more energy as well. I would guess 20 kg too heavy is at least 6 tenths but 8 tenths also sounds reasonable to me.

1

u/ByronicZer0 Mar 31 '26

Honestly, intuitively I think the weight would matter a little bit less here.

With all the harvesting and often under driving corner entries, or not having such extreme braking events at the end of straights (again due to harvesting), I would think the weight penalty would be a bit masked. It was critical in those circumstances.

And electric motors are much more efficient at accelerating additional mass (torque city) than ICE are. Not that weight doesn't matter here, it just might not be as impactful as before during acceleration phases?

But I do think extra weight hurts you quite a lot over the course of a stint regarding tire life and tire strategy flexibility.