F1 should slash car weight - Abiteboul

Cyril Abiteboul thinks Formula 1 should think seriously about slashing the weight of the cars.

The Renault boss says it is an alarming development that, year on year, the cars get heavier and heavier.

Abiteboul critical

"Next year it will be 850kg in the race. Even in Singapore the cars were so slow in the race that they were not a challenge to drive," he told Auto Motor und Sport.

READ: F1: Drivers unhappy with extra 'Halo' weight

Indeed, the cars' weight is going up for 2019 due to the addition of a minimum driver weight and extra fuel for the race.

"We spend so much money making the car lighter, and yet the cars keep getting heavier. When the drivers are slow in the race then they no longer make mistakes, making it boring for the audience," Abiteboul said.

"In the 90s and 2000s, the drivers were really struggling with much lighter cars. We have to be careful. Interest in F1 is going down. The sponsorship market is difficult," the Frenchman warned.

And he denied that the 2019 technical rule changes will at least make the racing more exciting.

"Honestly, after our work in the simulator and the wind tunnel, we do not believe it will become easier to overtake," said Abiteboul.