Alonso another driver to lose weight for car performance

[andartop]

Think about it this way - if there were a 159kg (350lb) driver with more driving skill than Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna combined, do you think he could succeed in Formula One? Should the rules be changed to give such a driver a "fair" chance? After all, it's should just be about "skill" right? Where do we draw the line? In reality, what we call skill is not merely mental but also physical ability, whether it involves throwing a basketball or driving a car at 5Gs.

A 159 KG person would have to be 2.31 m high in order to be classified as simply overweight and not obese in the BMI. It seems highly unlikely that a person with such a body could ever exhibit half the driving skill of Alex Yoong in a F1 car, let alone MS and AS combined. Does anyone know the height of the highest ever modern F1 driver and the weight of the heaviest one? And of course the rules should not be changed to give anyone a "fair" chance, by definition that would be unfair and discriminating!

[Roland Ehnström]

Just guessing...

Tallest: Justin Wilson @ 190 cm

Heaviest: Nigel Mansell @ 90+ kg

[enkidu]

Well im 188Cm and about 82KG... I'm within my correct BMI but am disadvantaged when I go karting.

If I had a team mate who was 72kg he's car would probably be 10kg lighter than mine or have ballast in better places?

I think they should make a rule 'driver and seat combined should weight over 100kg at end of race. Ballast will be checked'

[Rob W]

sorry - double post

[Rob W]

This discussion is just getting stupid.

Let's all pay everyone the same amount of money so it's fair.

... and that's how communism began people.

NEWSFLASH: PEOPLE DON'T ALL WEIGH THE SAME! LIVE WITH IT.

[machin]

Take this one step further... why bother having a minimum weight for the whole car then? All the teams could make the cars lighter if the rules allowed it... but they don't... TO MAKE IT FAIR!!!!! Adding ballast around the driver to compensate for the different driver weights makes it MORE fair.....

In my opinion

[Ciro Pabón]

Funny thread.

Alonso is not asking for ballast or anything. He lost weight during winter season, by cycling up to four hours a day, you fit guys. I think he's thinking about being fit for the season, that's it. He's not thinking about the weight, but about optimimizing the car and I'm pretty sure. How do I know? (besides reading the news in this site, ehem: Alonso on a diet to allow for more ballast movement).

Well, haven't you noticed that after the race the top three guys religiously take gloves and helmets and go upstairs, disappear for a moment and then reappear at the podium? Why do you think they do that?

Because they're weighted after the race, that's why.

Definitions

...

1.9 Weight :
Is the weight of the car with the driver, wearing his complete racing apparel, at all times during the Event.

F1 Technical Regulations - 2009

I don't know about the guys that kart around this thread, but where I live we follow international karting regulations, and the weight of the kart includes the weight of the driver, too. Regulations even specify the size of the washers you have to use to attach the lead weights to the frame. So, I won't call names, but I wonder, where are you racing karts?

NOTE: I edited from this post all my sarcastic comments about this thread. However, read the regulations before pontificate, please. I'm pretty proud of the quality of the threads in this site, if you get my drift. That quality depends on you, guys.

[xpensive]

But that's an evil conspiracy against all short people Ciro, it's called apart-height!

[jddh1]

Think about it this way - if there were a 159kg (350lb) driver with more driving skill than Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna combined, do you think he could succeed in Formula One? Should the rules be changed to give such a driver a "fair" chance? After all, it's should just be about "skill" right? Where do we draw the line? In reality, what we call skill is not merely mental but also physical ability, whether it involves throwing a basketball or driving a car at 5Gs.

He would be a fantastic Monster Truck series driver. Although if he goes down to 300lbs he would be able to drive in the stock car series, just not with top teams.

[Ciro Pabón]

But that's an evil conspiracy against all short people Ciro, it's called apart-height!

Oh. Sorry, I confused it with the height-locaust. Fnord.

[Roland Ehnström]

LOL, quality thread this one.

[Shaddock]

Think about it this way - if there were a 159kg (350lb) driver with more driving skill than Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna combined, do you think he could succeed in Formula One?

Didn't Ron Dennis sack him, so he drives NASCAR for living

[tarzoon]

Think about it this way - if there were a 159kg (350lb) driver with more driving skill than Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna combined, do you think he could succeed in Formula One? Should the rules be changed to give such a driver a "fair" chance? After all, it's should just be about "skill" right?

That guy is Stig's American cousin.

And I haven't seen him on F1

[vyselegend]

Think about it this way - if there were a 159kg (350lb) driver with more driving skill than Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna combined, do you think he could succeed in Formula One?

Didn't Ron Dennis sack him, so he drives NASCAR for living

Well, he said "159 kg driver", not "159 kg tennisman"

[ESPImperium]

So HAmilton is 9kg heavier than Massa.. Massa had 9kg of weight to chuck about the car and still lost the champ.. Unlucky massa hahaha

And if BMW Sauber has done a little more work on the F1.08 and they had a little more luck at Singapore and at least one other GP id have to say that Kube could have really came closer to them both, maybes even beating them.

EDIT:

Didnt Ferarri have the heavier car than McLaren without balast as well, that Slotted Nose was rumored to increase weight by at least 35Kg.

In what universe does a hole weigh an extra 35kg? If the entire nosecone weighed that much you think they'd be able to change them that easy?

I wasnt meaning the nosecone, what i was meaning is the crash structure that was needed for them to have such a design in the car, whitch made the car an extra 35Kg heavier at the front end.

However, the front and nosecone assembly for this design were only marginly heaviler, about 1Kg seemingly.