Renault warned of weight limit issue

Renault says it warned Formula 1 rivals a long time ago that there could be a problem with the weight limit of next year's cars, but its concerns were ignored.

Amid a likelihood that an increase in the minimum weight of F1 cars from 642kg to 690kg will not be enough to make up for the heavier V6 turbo power units, there have been concerns that heavier drivers are going to be penalized next year.

Renault F1's deputy managing director Rob White says the French car manufacturer feared there was going to be a weight issue months ago but said rivals were adamant at the time that it would not be a problem.

Asked if he anticipated teams would struggle to reach the minimum weight target, White said: "It depends who you ask " and who did the anticipating.

"In all honesty, we've been quite urgent in requesting that the weight effect of the regulation change be fully taken into account. While we are pretty confident that the power units and racecars we are heading toward will be every bit as optimized for weight as the current engines and cars, equally our forecast has been for some time that the overall weight challenge is greater than with the current rules.

"We recommended a slightly bigger weight change than the one that was adopted in the process, but we were voted down by people who had different opinion."

If teams fail to reach the minimum weight limit target with their 2014 cars, then it means that heavier drivers will be at a disadvantage. A number of drivers, especially Nico Hulkenberg, have urged teams and the sport's chiefs to look at the situation again to ensure that taller drivers are not at risk of losing opportunities because of their weight.