F1 cars are faster, safer and more advanced than ever. But here’s the catch, they have also grown massively. On narrow classic tracks like Imola and especially Monaco, these cars often look like buses squeezing through tight streets. So – are today’s machines just too big for the tracks
they race on?
How Much Bigger Are They?
During the 1990s F1 cars were roughly 4.4m long and 1.8m wide. They also weighed in at around 600kg. However, as time progressed, they grew slightly bigger with time.
The 2000s were an amazing era for motorsports and Formula 1 was no exception. In this time the cars grew in length and were around 4.6m, for width they were 1.8m once again. However, the weight also increased by around 100kg. This is a huge amount of weight.
Fast forward to 2024, the cars can exceed 5.6m in length as well as a huge 2m in width. Not to mention them weighing over 800kg with fuel. It is no secret that they have definitely increased in size and weight. In fact, they are wider than some road cars.
Impact on Racing
You might think that a slight change in the cars wouldn’t massively affect the sport. However, it is actually a big deal in terms of speed, overtaking and safety regulations.
Narrow Tracks Become a Problem
On tracks like Monaco, a famously narrow street circuit, modern F1 cars can barely fit. Because of this, the round of F1 is less dependent on the track moves and more so on Qualifying and strategy during this time.
Overtaking Gets Harder
The narrow tracks combined with many F1 cars trying to push past the competition and get to P1 causes problems. The width causes fewer gaps, meaning less overtakes. This then just causes a single line of cars – essentially traffic.
Safety & Regulations
Bigger cars are partly because of crash regulations tightening as well as hybrid technology. Batteries now take up more space. Sustainability improvements and safety are present but racing spectacles are sacrificed.
Historical Perspective
In the 70s and 80s, cars were much smaller. They could dart through corners whilst leaving space for a bold overtake. Senna’s 1980s Monaco laps were fluid and smooth but now it is difficult to replicate that same flow.
Even Martin Brundle has joked that the cars look more like limousines in comparison to the older, compact cars.
Possible Solutions
Care redesigns can be complete however the likelihood of this actually happening is very slim. Also, tracks can be altered too. However, is this actually going to happen? Probably not. It takes time and money, and if it interferes with the race, it’s not going to be pushed.
The best thing to do is accept that F1 has evolved into something different. It is less about divebomb overtakes and more focused on speed combined with strategy.
The Verdict
Modern F1 cars are absolute machines but their sheer size limits racing at classic tracks. Whether the FIA chooses to shrink cars again or redesign tracks is the real question here…
Do you miss the nimble F1 cars of the past, or do you think the trade-off for speed and safety is worth it? Drop your answer here!