I'm sure I'm not alone in wondering why the obviously prodigious Nico Hülkenberg has had such a rough passage in the sport so far. Yesterday, we heard that he's too tall and heavy for McLaren, here's Benson's take on it from this morning: is this also why teams haven't wanted him in the past? I was previously under the impression that a lack of sponsorship was the reason for this; now I'm asking myself whether we'll ever really see the man's potential simply because he's not short. Driving talent in F1 is already restricted by big money, are we also going to discard brilliance in favour of motor jockeys just for sake of a few kilos? Wouldn't it be better to have some leadership from the top of the sport to sort this out with a little regulation on minimum weight? It would cost nothing and improve the racing by enabling a higher proportion of the very best drivers to remain on the grid, whatever their size.
Yeah, surely it's a no-brainer? But Whitmarsh and others say self-interest will prevent that from happening; that's why I think the FIA should show some leadership here.
when I say minimum weight I mean of the driver. The teams are just thinking of the car. If the minimum weight of the car was raised then the teams would install more heavier parts or ballast over a heavier driver.
Lol, thats a sport I want to watch. Starts with the drivers having to Le mans it and squeeze into the cars
it's always been the case, didn't they have to alter the McLaren for Berger because he was too tall at 5'10 and found the cockpit to cramped?
Nigel Mansell infamously couldn't race for McLaren in 1995 initially because he couldn't fit in the car
there's always the option of hand operated accelerators and brakes, then a simple surgical operation to remove both legs and we're good to go
Unfortunately, the physical size/weight of a driver/rider has always been a factor in motor sport. Big guys (or gals) have always been at a natural disadvantage. Although Max's proposal is perfectly logical, I do not believe it will ever happen. Similarly sumo-wrestlers will stick to a sport better suited to their physique. This is reinforced by the fact that little guys tend to do better at a very early stage, when they are in low powered vehicles where power to weight ratios are even more at a premium. For these reasons, I do not see any change. Hulk (and the many like him) knows the score: he's lived with it long enough!
Anyone remember Justin Richards? As I recall he very nearly got dropped by Minardi because they couldn't afford (at the time) to refit his car. He found the money from somewhere though I agree with the above about little guys getting an advantage from an early age.
What is the point of having a minimum weight if it doesn't extend to the drivers? I thought it was supposed to level the playing field, but if you can engineer a car to be lighter it's an advantage you've earned, unlike simply being small. It's pathetic that the FIA can't sort this out, it's such a simple solution, but as always they can't be arsed to lift a finger if it doesn't earn them a **** load of cash.
