New F1 rules

brainstorm

FIA

FORMULA 1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

PRELIMINARY PROPOSALS FOR NEW RULES
TO TAKE EFFECT ON 1 JANUARY 2008

Engine

2.4 litre V8;
maximum of four valves per cylinder;
two-race engine (fool-proof method for ensuring this rule is observed, plus carefully calculated penalty system for unscheduled changes);
list of components which must be made from a specific material and/or using a specified manufacturing process;
ban on variable geometry inlet and exhaust systems;
standard ECU (under FIA control)
ban on ultra high pressure (direct injection) fuel systems enforced by means of FIA ECU;
maximum modulus of elasticity (stiffness) of materials reduced from 40 Gpa to 32 Gpa (throughout car).


Transmission, braking and steering

manual gearbox with electronic over-rev safeguard;
manually operated clutch;
ban on electronically controlled differentials;
ban on power steering systems;
standard brake discs, pads and calipers.


Chassis

weight limit reduced by at least 50 kilos (to eliminate ballast and thus reduce kinetic energy in an accident);
a combined tyre and aerodynamic package to be published no later than 31 December 2004 to achieve specific targets for cornering speeds, straight-line speeds, grip and braking performance, taking weight reduction into acount;
tyre (wheel) width reduced at front, increased at rear to allow weight distribution consistent with no ballast and to give greater drag (total of front +rear widths to stay same).


Sporting

no spare car allowed during entire Event;
cars to be held under parc fermé conditions during entire Event;
one tyre supplier only, all sporting aspects of supply contract under control of FIA;
drastic restriction on private testing, limited by mileage rather than number of days, enforced by means of FIA ECU;
two (identical) sets of tyres for qualifying and race;
Friday practice: package to ensure cars run, possibly to include a qualifying session;
new qualifying system to be discussed with commercial rights holder (broadcasters), teams and race promoters;
if qualifying continues to be with race fuel, consider whether amount of fuel in refuelling rig before race should be fixed annually in sporting regulations with amount of fuel in car for qualifying and race free (to encourage fuel efficiency);
no tyre change during race (except genuine puncture), refuelling to stay;
consider if constructors’ points should be scored by a maximum of four specified cars (two teams) per constructor (to encourage major teams to make cars and information available to teams coming into Formula 1, see below);


General

no restriction on the sale, loan or exchange of chassis and components between teams or to new entrants in the championship;
twelve entries to be accepted each year, entries to close on 1 July for following season;
guaranteed entries each year for teams with long-term contracts to compete in championship;
technical and sporting rule changes for future seasons to be subject to a majority vote of the teams already contracted to compete during the season in which the rule changes will apply;
technical rule changes concerning Formula 1 to be announced in June to take effect on 1 January of the second year following the announcement (for example, a technical rule change for 2012 would be announced no later than 1 July 2010, having first been approved by a majority of the teams already contracted to participate in 2012);
no rule changes after entries close for a given Championship without consent of all accepted teams.

brainstorm

So what do we make of all this???

Will this finally slow cars down. hopefully not!

Some of my suggestions:


1) Leave it all alone, just make every manufacturer back another team.
2) Have every team use the same chassis and engine, bring back slicks and active suspension ... The best drivers are going to win anyway.
3) Destroy the innovation in F1 totally and make em race nissan micras*


* i've nothing against nissan micras btw.

Doctor J

Sounds like F3000 :dunno:

F1 is about technology, we don't need another IRL. What I'd do is make wings 1 piece and bring back big fat slicks. Make the cars less aerodynamically dependant, but not take away too much grip. There will always be one team who get it more right than others but it's ludicrous to see Raikonnen stuck behind Saubers and Jordans and unable to pass. The new Mc isn't that bad but yet he couldn't get past.

Also, have qualifying on Friday and Saturday and take an aggregate time for grid position. Fridays should be in qualifying trim, on the edge, as fast as the cars can go, Saturday in race trim. And get rid of this stupid one engine rule. We want to see the cars on the track, not in garages preserving their engines.

Then restrict each team to 10 days testing outside of races. These cars are too reliable, too predictable, too honed. Let teams take risks at races.

We don't need an IRL, let's have F1 as it should be, the pinnacle of the sport.

Töpher

How can F1 maintain its position as the pinacle of motorsport (and technology) if they disallow innovation and technological advancement. Bah!

projectmayhem

from what i've read/heard this isn't popular anywhere. what's the point of formula1 if the engines and chasis are worse then f3000 or whatever? the only difference will be monotary...

i don't think the teams will go for this anyway... they have the deciding vote on this.

brainstorm

I think i read somewhere that not all teams were against it! You can imagine Honda and BMW not liking having standard ECU's. if this isnt accepted by everyone then theres a good chance BMW will leave.. The ECU is a good way of limiting testing, if ur engine wont start u cant test! but this will probably mean teams well do more extensive dynamo(?) testing on engines in the factory.

i think cutting costs is a good idea, but dont ruin the technical innovation of F1.

gs39t

2008 ?

If the current trend continues there will be nobody watching F1 in 2008 :dunno:

Cant they move these changes up, say, to next week?

brainstorm

If the current trend continues there will be nobody watching F1 in 2008
Cant they move these changes up, say, to next week?

it would be good if they could do something sooner.Its all got to do with the Concorde agreement that runs out in @ end of 2007. Teams will end up getting more money from tv rights etc, major rule changes cant be made this till runs out, and if teams dont get what they want then u mite have this next racing series lead by all the manufacturers.

Delphi91

Originally posted by Einstürzende
How can F1 maintain its position as the pinacle of motorsport (and technology) if they disallow innovation and technological advancement. Bah!

Hmm, I was under the impression that racing in a Grand Prix should be about driving skill. However, lately it seems to be whether my software reacts nanoseconds faster than yours or whether my carbon fibre composite body has a slightly lower drag coefficient, etc, etc.

I'm all for bringing back manual gear changes, no power steering, etc. We might finally see the drivers doing what they should be doing - driving! And not just flicking a switch at the start and staying on board for the ride.

I agree that there should be technology in F1, but when you have teams with what are to all intents and purposes, unlimited budgets, then what chance has anyone else? When have Ferrari last suffered mechanical failure necessitating Schumacher retiring? I think it was way back in 2001.

Having said that, I don't think the new rules will effect that all that much. BUT, it will shift the grid arouond a little bit because we might finally get to see which of them are good drivers as against drivers who have a technologically advanced car which requires liuttle actual driving skill.

Mike

Flukey

What they should do, to be a real test of both drivers and teams is this:
Have 10 teams, 20 drivers and 20 races.

A rotating system is set where each driver drives twice for each team throughout the year. Which team and which race is decided by a random draw at the beginning of the season.

Delphi91

And that would probably level out the sponsorship problems also, 'cos every team would have the best drivers driving for them for two races, and since the cameras follow the drivers and not the cars, that would guarantee sponsor exposure.....Interesting idea.

Only problem would be the conflict between the drivers championship and the constructors championship. Would drivers be signed to a specific team at the start of each season, and if so, what would stop them from passing info on other teams back to their "home" team?

Mike

Dman_15

it wont happen.

The big teams dont need F1, F1 needs them. Whats stopping Ferrari, Williams, Bmw, Renault, BAR, from braking away and forming their own championship, taking the cream of the f1 crop with them and letting in who they see fit. none of your third rate back runners lapping 5 seconds a lap slower than the rest of the field.