Why are drivers weighed after an F1 Grand Prix?

You've probably noticed that moment at the foot of the podium when the drivers return one by one to the official FIA center to be weighed. But do you know why?

When the FIA finally put an end to the “driver weight race” in 2019, the focus of the sport shifted from reducing driver weight to balancing performance and safety. The new rule—a mandatory minimum weight of 80 kg for each driver, adjusted if necessary with ballast—was introduced to level the playing field, as Formula 1 cars have gained a lot of weight over the past decade.

The sport already operates under two parallel sets of regulations. The sporting regulations dictate how teams, drivers, and events operate, while the technical regulations set the technical parameters that each chassis must meet. One of the most visible technical constraints is the minimum weight of the car-driver combination. In 2020, the baseline was 746 kg, which includes the minimum weight of 80 kg for the driver. If a driver is heavier, the car can be built lighter; a driver weighing 86 kg, for example, allows the chassis to be reduced to around 660 kg, while still complying with the overall limit. Any weight above the 746 kg threshold simply slows the car down in a straight line and compromises lap times. Why did the FIA feel compelled to legislate on the minimum weight of drivers? As the chassis became heavier (about 30 kg more than ten years ago) due to increased aerodynamics, larger tires, and safety additions such as the Halo, teams began to demand ever-thinner drivers to compensate for the extra mass. In 2012, Red Bull's Mark Webber, who weighed 165 lbs, needed about 396 lbs of fuel for a Grand Prix, bringing the weight of his car on the starting line to 1,957 lbs. His lighter teammate, Sebastian Vettel (139 lbs), carried 36 lbs of fuel, giving him a 59 lbs advantage at the start. These figures clearly showed that a driver's body weight could be a decisive performance lever.

The 2019 regulations limit this advantage. Starting this season, each driver must weigh at least 80 kg after the race, including ballast, and the combined weight of the car and driver cannot be less than 740 kg (2019 figure). This removes any inherent advantage for naturally lighter, often smaller drivers and puts taller, heavier drivers on an equal footing. Prior to this change, officials weighed the driver-car combination at the end of each Grand Prix to verify compliance; now, the two elements are inspected separately. The weighing process is strictly controlled. The ballast, approved by the FIA delegate, is installed in the cockpit before the start and checked again after the race. Drivers step on a scale with their helmet and HANS device; the total must be 180 pounds. In practice, a 146-pound driver can compete as long as 30 pounds of ballast is installed. Since drivers can lose two to three kilograms of sweat during a two-hour stint at a temperature of 35°C, the ballast is calculated to compensate for this loss, ensuring that the minimum weight is reached at the finish line.

For drivers, the post-race weigh-in is a ritual that takes place as soon as they get out of the car, with the adrenaline still pumping. The scene that unfolded after the 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix, when Max Verstappen, fresh from a spin, was immediately taken to the scales, perfectly illustrates how weight compliance has become an integral part of the modern F1 routine.