Grand prix racing’s battle against weight

When Mercedes launched its 2023 W14 there were a lot of comments about the return to a black livery. The base colour is that of the naked carbon fibre structure, with no paint applied at all. And the reason? To save weight.

Mercedes is not alone in stripping paint, or at least refraining from applying it in the first place, for this reason. But given the current minimum weight limit is a whopping 798kg, you may be left wondering how they can…