The F1 2011 season is starting tomorrow, I personally can’t wait, but before you tackle this season we gotta read this
We are giving you a 2 parts feature on major changes in F1 – For all you sick F1 fanatics like me enjoy it…
F1 has undergone quite a few rule changes over the winter. Here’s the lowdown on what to expect from the new season, from adjustable rear wings to the return of KERS.
1-Tyres: Sporting Regulations 25.4
For the next three years. Pirelli will be F1’s sole tyre supplier, and their arrival coincides with a number of changes. Drivers will have to better manage tyre usage, since the number of dry-weather tyres per race has been reduced from 14 to 11 sets. That’s six sets of the hard ‘prime’ tyre and five sets of the soft ‘option’.
If a driver fails to use both types in a dry race, he will be excluded from the results. There were calls for Pirelli to help improve the racing, so they reduced tyre durability to force every driver to make at least twostops per race. They’ve also made a stronger, grippier front tyre. This should help the likes of Schurracher and Massa, both of whom struggled with the hard Bridgestone fronts in 2010.
2- Minimum weight of cars is increased and the weight distribution is fixed: Technical Regulations, Articles 4.1 and 4.2
With the return of KERS. the minimum weight of the car has been raised by 20kg to 64Okg. This will help F1’s heavier drivers because they won’t pay such a large penalty in terms of weight distribution with the reintroduction of KERS batteries. Also, for 2011 only, the weight distribution has been set so no one team can luck into an advantage with the new tyres. The weight that is applied on the front and rear wheels must be no less than 29lkg and 342kg respectively during the qualifying practice session. 342kg (min) 29lkg (min)
3- Qualifying: Technical Regulations, Article 6.6.2
After grabbing pole in Canada last year, Lewis Hamilton was fined $10,000 for stopping on his way back to parc fermé. having been told by his team he was nearly out of fuel but that some of it was still needed for a post-qualifying sample.
The FIA has clarified this to stop teams deliberately under filling their machines. If a fuel sample is required after practice, the car must first be driven back to the pits under its own power.
4 – 107 per cent rule returns: Sporting Regulations, Article 36.3
The reintroduced 107 per cent rule hasn’t been seen in F1 since 2002. The rule prevents any driver whose best qualifying lap exceeds 107 per cent of the fastest time in Q1 from starting the race. To put that in perspective, had the rule been in place last season.
HRT would have failed on more than one occasion to make it onto the starting grid. Under exceptional circumstances, stewards may still permit a driver to start the race – but usually only if they’ve set a suitable time in practice. We’ll have to see whether it catches anyone out this year.
5- Safety car clarification: Sporting Regulations, Article 40.13
Remember the 2010 Monaco Grand Prix? As the Safety Car pitted at the end of the last lap, Michael Schumacher audaciously overtook Fernando Alonso to steal a last—gasp sixth place. Or so he thought. Schuey later got a 20-second time penalty for overtaking under Safety Car conditions, causing great confusion. The FIA has now issued a clarification. Stating that if the Safety Car is deployed at the beginning of the last lap or during it. It will enter the pitlane at the end of the lap and the cars will take the chequered flag as normal without overtaking.
to be continued