The Formula 1 Commission has voted favourably on a plan to split car and driver minimum weights for 2019.
Following an F1 Strategy Group meeting in London on Thursday, unanimous consent for the introduction of the new minimum weight rule for this season was not reached, thus differing its application to 2019.
The FIA raised the overall minimum weight of the 2018 cars by 6kg to 734kg to compensate for the introduction of the Halo cockpit safety device. The limit includes the driver but not fuel.
The 2019 rule will separate car and driver weight however, and allocate a 80kg minimum weight to the driver.
Drivers who weigh in under the limit will carry an appropriate amount of ballast, although it is not clear of teams will be able to add the ballast where they see fit.
The future rule will obviously encourage drivers to weigh in under the imposed limit, in order for teams to optimise the use of ballast.
Needless to say, heavy and tall drivers who weigh in above the limit will find themselves once again at a disadvantage as any extra kilo of weight associated with a driver will represent a kilo of ballast the team won't be able to use.
Up until 1995, a driver was not included in a car's minimum weight limit, but the FIA increased the threshold by 80kg thereafter to put it a car's minimum weight at 595kg.
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