Glossary / General

ballast

14 Episode Mentions

Too Afraid to Ask

Ballast is extra weight added to a car to help with balance. In racing, taking out this weight can make the car go faster and handle better.

Technical Definition

Ballast refers to weight added to a vehicle to achieve a desired balance or handling characteristic. In racing, removing ballast can improve performance by reducing weight, making the car faster and more agile.

Hear It Discussed

"because you have to know what your own BOP is, because you have to know what era level you can run, what restrictors you can run, what ballast you have..."
Lewis Hamilton is back to his best #318 The Intercooler 08:43

"because we were only looking at the point, the fact that oh it's like 40, 50 pounds, no big deal, we'll just put some ballast somewhere else and offset it and no, it just, it was completely different"
160: Next-Level Toyota Builds with Ryan Tuerck – ST205 Celica Tuned In 16:02

"But if you're less, if your driver's less than that, then you have to [2453.0s] put ballast into that weight pocket. If he's over that, then you have to to a maximum of something"
Tech Show: Red Bull's rear wing issues and the complexities of airflow reattachment The Race F1 Podcast 40:53