Adrian Sutil is driving at Bahrain without a water bottle to cut weight from his car
Can you imagine trying to drive an entire race without a sip of water?
It's what Formula 1 driver Adrian Sutil is going to do at Bahrain in an attempt to make his car as light as possible.
Formula 1 changed to a V6 engine for the 2014 season, which is heavier than its V8 predecessor. However, the minimum weight for the car wasn't changed by the FIA, Formula 1's governing body, and so some teams are having to cut anything and everything to make their cars lighter. Even to the point of removing something that seems so inconsequential.
"Normally you have one liter, or even one-and-a-half liters in Malaysia, so you can drink during the whole race," Sutil said via Reuters.
"But in this situation now we are talking about 300-400 grammes and you also have to count the bottle that has an empty weight of 0.5kg."
Saying "grammes" really makes it feel like a Formula 1 post, doesn't it? Granted, Formula 1 races aren't nearly as long as some NASCAR races, but it still gets awfully hot in the car and hydration is extremely important.
Sutil's water bottle isn't the first ridiculous weight issue in the series this year. Daniel Ricciardo, who replaced Mark Webber as Sebastian Vettel's teammate at Red Bull, was told by the team he needed to cut weight. His listed weight? 143 pounds. He's no Tony Stewart.
Teams have been lobbying to increase the minimum weight for the cars next season. A heavier car can't accelerate as fast, so teams are at a competitive disadvantage for every ounce (or gram) the car is over minimum weight. And since engines are heavier, drivers are having to compensate for it either via weight loss or by sacrificing hydration. Neither is incredibly healthy.
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is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @NickBromberg
