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CTOs explain this trend
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This year, the F1s sport liveries with a lot of carbon, the teams wanting to save money and reduce the weight of the single-seaters. The technical directors of the teams explain why this somewhat unsightly trend has become logical.
“I guess so, we have made a huge effort this year to bring the car back to the weight limit” said Pat Fry, chief technology officer of Alpine F1. “Obviously having less paint or less film, whatever version you’re using, helps.”
“We’re under the weight limit now so we’re weighting for us I guess we could have a bit more pink or blue. But obviously that’s a key differentiator and if you’re overweight , you just have to remove everything you can.”
Mike Elliott, the director of Mercedes F1, notes however that the teams manage to find only marginal gains with this process: “I think we’re in the small gains now. I think when you look at the weight, these cars, in terms of paintwork, it’s not huge, but every little thing matters.”
Are you having maintenance issues? “And if you can make a little edge there, then you do. In terms of how they look and evolve once they’ve been sandblasted, as you said, it might be harder to deal with pure carbon than paint, but we’ll see.”
Dan Fallows, Aston Martin’s technical director, agrees with Elliott that teams are trying to shed some crucial pounds, but also save money: “You’re in the small gains, but in terms of paint cost, that’s a good point. It’s not something I’ve given much thought to, but it’s a good point.”
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