Tungsten ballast is a F1 specific tuning option. Ballast allows you to add weight to an already light car, with the specific intention of altering the weight distribution of the car. This works hand in hand with tungsten weight Balance. Modern F1 car have tungsten ballast of more then 150 Kg. Applying very expensive and very heavy metal ballast in precise places, usually but not always on the underside of the monocoque, on the as lowest place as possible to further lower the center of gravity.
As on most cars, the RB4 has tiny blocks of tungsten inside the wing's main profile, hidden from view within covered housings. But in addition to this 'standard' ballast placing, the RB4's endplates also have detachable aerodynamically shaped covers which hide extra ballast pieces (picture down). The ballast may look small, but the high density of the ballast metal means they can carry 5 to 7 kilograms. This allows the weight distribution of the car to be moved more forwards, improving its overall weight distribution.
Tungsten alloys provide maximum weight in the smallest possible space. The components are manufactured according to the customer’s project.
