Tungsten Alloy Ballast in a Formula 1 Car

Formula 1 cars are weighed during the Grand Prix weekend to ensure they comply with the minimum weight requirement of 640 kg. Teams use tungsten alloy ballast to ensure the cars run at the minimum weight.

Ballast was once made of iron or lead. Nowadays, a much more advanced material is utilized: a tungsten alloy .

Tungsten alloy could ,made into various balance and ballast components to allow engineers the opportunity to optimise vehicle handling. Ballast is normally located underneath the floor of the car as close to the ground as possible to maintain a very low Cg (centre of gravity).