Red Bull guru Adrian Newey fears F1 car design is going in ‘wrong direction’

‘The cars have become bigger and heavier and not particularly aerodynamically efficient’

Red Bull chief technology officer Adrian Newey (Getty Images)

Red Bull’s chief technology officer Adrian Newey believes the regulation changes in regards to the weight of this season’s Formula One cars are taking the sport in the “wrong direction”.

F1 chiefs brought in the regulation changes to increase the chance for cars to overtake each other during races but Newey believes the move is part of a wider trend in which road cars are getting heavier.

“I think the principle of helping cars to overtake by reducing the sensitivity of the following car to the one in front is fine. I think it helps to be able to overtake a little better. I don’t think it’s a significant change but it will help a little,” Newey told Motorsport Magazin.

“If you make such a significant rule change, which inevitably brings with it many other changes, then it will probably lead to the field expanding further in the first few seasons.

“In just a few years, the weight limit has increased from a low 600kg and 30-40kg of ballast on board to cars with 800kg and more. And we are all working like crazy to make that happen to achieve the currently prescribed minimum weight. In short, the cars have become bigger and heavier and not particularly aerodynamically efficient because they have a lot of air resistance.

“Obviously this wrong direction is the same in which the general automotive industry has recently developed – ever larger and heavier cars and the people’s obsession, whether they drive on batteries or on gas, the biggest issue is the amount of energy it takes to move the damn thing, regardless of where that energy comes from.”