Lando Norris at F1 Silverstone in Cobra

[Daytona Dek]

Originally Posted by Unique427

Lando looks like a pre-teen driver in a Cobra with the
way that roll hoop towers above his head. He's one of
the shortest F1 drivers in the lineup right now.

F1 qualifying for race pole position is extremely close at the moment. The top 3 and more are separated by tenths of a second. Imagine the variables-different cars, different set up, different engines and lastly different drivers. The designers are changing aero parts race to race to gain a minute advantage. So it pays to be a short, skinny driver to give the race engineer a head start I imagine.

[Unique427]

Originally Posted by Daytona Dek

F1 qualifying for race pole position is extremely close at the moment. The top 3 and more are separated by tenths of a second. Imagine the variables-different cars, different set up, different engines and lastly different drivers. The designers are changing aero parts race to race to gain a minute advantage. So it pays to be a short, skinny driver to give the race engineer a head start I imagine.

Small physical stature has its benefits for an F1 driver.
Designers can downsize the cockpit survival cell area
as close to minimum as possible (850mm long / 450mm wide).
Less weight means better fuel economy and speed.
Every additional 10kg of weight can increase lap time 0.3sec.

Of course, the Cobra being a primordial race car, has
none of that tech. So when we see a small pro driver in
one it presents both a surprising and humorous contrast.