F1 cars became heavier over the last years, espacially in the hybrid era. The rules say that the car must have a minimum weight of 722 kg and the engine must weight atleast 145 kg. But how comes that most cars weigh 728 kg and the mercedes even 733 kg including the drivers, lubricants eg.?
Also how much lighter could the cars and engines become if the rules wouldn't require a minimum weight and allow composite materials? Also why are the hybrids so heavy? I mean the engine is tiny with its 1.6l and only 6 cylinders. Compared to the cars from the 90s with a 3.5l V12 engine in the back only had 500 kg. I know that the batteries, mgu-k and mgu-h also add some weight but it can't be possibly more weight than double the engine size would be.
I have to admit I didn't like the new V6 turbo hybrids, not just because of the sound but also because of the car weight and poor engine power. However I think the 2017 cars are the most spectacular so far and the fastest ever built. So to my last question: How much power do you think these cars could produce with a fuel flow limit of 150 kg/h or even higher, would the rpm rise as most cars now have peak power at only like 12.000 rpm before dropping again and how big of an efficiency loss would that be with ultra lean mixtures having to be used in the race to allow full race distance and only QF allowing for max fuel rate?