BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Sauber's Swedish Formula One driver Marcus Ericsson has revealed that he has raced thirsty for years because he has ditched his car's water bottle in order to save weight.
The tall Swede explained the situation on Twitter after Sunday's sweltering Hungarian Grand Prix, in which he shed between 2.5 to three kilos.
"Haven't had a drink system installed for over two years (including today)," he said in response to a discussion about Kimi Raikkonen racing in the heat without water after Ferrari failed to connect the drinks bottle.
"It weighs around 1.5 kg. So we choose not to use it because of the weight. Just one of the reasons why we should have the same weight for all drivers," added Ericsson, who said he trained hard and kept well-hydrated before the race.
Raikkonen, who finished third at the Hungaroring where track temperatures were well above 50 degrees celsius in one of the hottest races so far this year, made light of his problem afterwards.
"The fact of not having my drink bottle available was obviously not ideal, but not so much of an issue either," declared the Finn, who has now finished on the podium nine times in Hungary.
Formula One is set to introduce a minimum driver weight of 80kg from 2019 to end a situation where the taller drivers have become disadvantaged, raising concerns about drastic weight loss and other unhealthy practices.
Driver weight will be considered separately to the car next season, with ballast required to be placed next to the seat for those weighing less than the minimum.
The addition of the halo head protection system has added weight to the car this season.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Sudipto Ganguly)