He Great F1 Circus lands this weekend, November 22-24, at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The best drivers in the world, accompanied by their Formula 1 cars, will fight to reach the highest step of the podium, traveling through the most emblematic places of the city and under the spectacular artificial lights that will give color and extra great show at the 22nd edition. world championship event.
Why are cars darker?
The teams, after an in-depth study to try to reduce their travel times, determined that the color black This is the key to taking a step in the search for your goals, a curiosity that, precisely, attracts the attention of all fans of the competition.
And no, it’s not a question of aesthetics, but there is something more. Black gained prominence in F1 car design due to a weight problem. The FIA, in general terms, sets a minimum weight of 798 kilos per car, so the black parts, although they look like black paint (they are not), are pieces of carbon fiber, which make cars weigh less and become much more agile.
The International Automobile Federation, during the last season, changed the minimum weight of Formula 1 cars to 795 kilos, which is unachievable and which caused discomfort in the teams, which is why it was decided to return to the initial 798 kilos. However, the margin is very small and teams are forced to reinvent themselves in order to respect the rules imposed by the organization. For this reason, they decided to eliminate some parts of the paint and opt for the black color of the carbon fiber, thus reducing, even minimally, the total weight of the vehicle, or in other words, kilos are saved.
During the 2022 season, particularly during the Abu Dhabi GP, this trend was confirmed. The Williams team, in its case, started the World Cup with its vehicle completely blue and finished it completely black, that is, the more black, the more fiber. carbon and, therefore, the car. will weigh much less. The difference is estimated to be 6 kilos and this, of course, has an impact on track times, since there is a reduction per lap completed.
Other teams like Ferrari, Mercedes, Alfa Romeo or Alpha Tauri, among others, They have also come to trust this technique, although there are some exceptions like Alpine or McLaren, who maintain their usual color and essence thanks to their sponsors and sponsorships, that is, out of obligation.
Andy GreenAston Martin technician, admitted to having used this technique to “reduce time and weight”: “We have some unfinished parts on the rear wing and the end of the sidepods. This saves us 350 grams. “We have to lose a lot more weight to achieve this goal.”
