Tag: fia

New FIA Regulations Say 2016 Customer Engines Must Be Current Year Spec

Newly released regulations by the FIA on Wednesday state that customer teams must be supplied with current year engines from 2016.

Article 23.5 of the new sporting regulations state: “Only power units which are identical to the power unit that has been homologated by the FIA in accordance with Appendix 4 of these regulations may be used at an Event during the 2016- 2020 Championship seasons.”

This simply means that customer teams must be supplied with the same specification engines as the manufacturer team.

The rule is unclear, however, about using different engine mappings to gain an advantage.

This rule change, which was published on 30 September 2015, comes at a time when Red Bull are struggling to find an engine supplier. The Milton Keynes based team were tipped to be supplied by Ferrari with 2015 power units. Red Bull are reportedly unhappy with the condition and are pushing for a current year engine deal.

Ferrari’s excuse is that they simply do not have the time to complete their production run to supply Red Bull with a 2016 engine.

Red Bull, however, may not be out of the woods just yet. Reports suggest that teams may decide to change the rule to allow second tier engines which will be discussed at the F1 Commission meeting in the coming weeks. Article 2.1 of the new sporting regulations makes provision for this.

Article 1.2 of the sporting regulations states: “These sporting regulations were published on 30 September 2015 and may only be changed after this date with the unanimous agreement of all competitors entered in the 2016 Championship, save for changes made by the FIA for safety reasons which may come into effect without notice or delay.”

If the teams all agree on a rule change the decision will have to be ratified at the World Motorsport Council meeting in December.

There are suggestions that Toro Rosso is closing in on a deal to use 2015 Ferrari power units next season. Which ever way the rule change goes, it looks like Toro Rosso will be on the grid in 2015. Red Bull on the other hand will no doubt oppose the rule change and will push for the current year engine spec.

October 14, 2015

Revised 2016 F1 Race Calendar Issued by the FIA

The FIA released a revised provisional 2016 race calendar after it was ratified at the World Motorsport Council today.

As reported earlier, the season will now start in March with the Australian Grand Prix hosting the first round of the F1 World Championshiop from 17-20 March 2016. The Australian GP was initially scheduled for an April start.

The revised calendar still consists of 21 races with a bit of shuffling around and the return of a three week summer break.. China and Bahrain have swapped with the latter scheduled on 3 April. The German Grand Prix will make a return after a year off.

The Malaysian Grand Prix has been pushed by a week to make it back to back with Japan. There are now 6 back-to-back race weekends on the revised calendar. These are: Canada-Azerbaijan, Austria-Britain, Hungary-Germany, Belgium-Italy, Maylaysia-Japan and Mexico-Brazil.

The race in Azerbaijan clashes with the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The FIA say that the race start will be scheduled to avoid the clash with the conclusion of Le Mans.

The final race will still take place in Abu Dhabi on 27 Novemeber 2016.

The 2016 revised provisional calendar

Round	Date	Circuit	City
1	20 March	Melbourne	Australia
2	3 April	Bahrain	Bahrain
3	17 April	Shanghai	China
4	1 May	Sochi	Russia
5	15 May	Barcelona	Spain
6	29 May	Monte Carlo	Monaco
7	12 June	Montreal	Canada
8	19 June	Baku	Azerbaijan*
9	3 July	Spielberg	Austria
10	10 July	Silverstone	United Kingdom
11	24 July	Budapest	Hungary
12	31 July	Hockenheim	Germany
13	28 August	Spa-Francorchamps	Belgium
14	4 September	Monza	Italy
15	18 September	Singapore	Singapore
16	2 October	Sepang	Malaysia
17	9 October	Suzuka	Japan
18	23 October	Austin	USA
19	6 November	Mexico City	Mexico
20	13 November	Sao Paolo	Brazil
21	27 November	Abu Dhabi	United Arab Emirates

September 30, 2015

FIA removes Eau Rouge-Raidillon kerb

The FIA has removed the new orange sausage kerb at the top of the Eau Rouge-Raidillon complex, following complaints from drivers after Friday’s practice sessions at the Belgian Grand Prix.

The kerb had been installed to deterA kerb was installed prior to the race weekend in order to deter drivers cutting the corner. However, after F1 Friday practice and a GP3 practice session that saw a car go airbourne trying to avoid the kerb, the FIA decided to remove it.

The kerb was removed ahead of Saturday’s third practice session, but the FIA has warned teams that the stewards will investigate any incidents where a driver exceeds track limits and gains an advantage.

August 22, 2015

21-Race Provisional F1 Calendar for 2016 Released By FIA

At the World Motorport Council(WMSC) meeting on Friday 10 July 2015 the FIA ratified a few rule changes to the F1 season and released a provisional 21 race calendar for 2016.

The season will get underway on 3 April 2016 in Australia back-to-back with China on 10 April 2016 and will conclude in Abu Dhabi on 27 November 2016. With the later start and conclusion the order has been tweaked slightly with the Russian Grand Prix in Sochi being moved up to 1 May 2016 and the Malaysian Grand Prix moved down the calendar to 25 September 2016 for the second round of fly-away races. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku is scheduled for 17 July 2016.

There are a number of back-to-back races at the start of the season and towards the middle of the season. This is in-line with the FIA’s goal to reduce the interval between races and to fit more races in a season.

Below is the provisional 21-race calendar for 2016:

1	3 April	Australia
2	10 April	China
3	24 April	Bahrain
4	1 May	Sochi
5	15 May	Spain
6	29 May	Monaco
7	12 June	Canada
8	26 June	UK
9	3 July	Austria
10	17 July	Baku
11	31 July	Germany
12	7 August	Hungary
13	28 August	Belgium
14	4 September	Italy
15	18 September	Singapore
16	25 September	Malaysia
17	9 October	Japan
18	23 October	USA
19	30 October	Mexico
20	13 November	Brazil
21	27 November	Abu Dhabi

July 10, 2015

Rule Changes Ratified by World Motorsport Council

The FIA World Motorsport Council(WMSC) met on Firday 10 July 2015 in Mexico City, Mexio and ratified some of the adjustments to the F1 regulations put forward by the F1 Strategy Group and approved by the F1 Commission.

Power unit penalties are now much more simpler. Drivers will no more incur any time penalties during the race if a driver is unable to drop further down the grid. This means that as soon as a driver incurring a penalty gets dropped down the grid and reaches last place, that is the position the driver will start in. No further penalties will be applied.

Good news for McLaren and Honda. The WMSC has approved the change to allow new power unit manufacturers one extra power unit per driver. This will be applied retrospectively to Honda.

The above changes will come into effect immediately.

Changes to the Super Licence regulations have also been made. Drivers who obtain a Super Licence but do not have the opportunity to race in F1 will now be able to hold onto the Super Licence for three years. Changes to the points scoring system for a Super Licence have been made. There is now a larger list of racing series included in the Super Licence points system. The winner of the Formula E Championship will now be granted a Super Licence even though the Formula E Championship does not form part of the points system.

July 10, 2015
“Zero Tolerance” Approach Taken By FIA to Cars Running Wide at Copse Corner

The FIA issued a note to the teams ahead of the third free practice session for the British Grand Prix to inform teams that a “zero tolerance” approach will be taken to cars leaving the track at the exit of Turn 9 (Copse).

“Further to the discussion in the drivers meeting yesterday evening I would like to inform all teams and drivers that we will be adopting a “zero tolerance” approach to cars leaving the track on the exit of turn 9 during qualifying,” read a statement from Race Director Charlie Whiting in a note to the teams.

“Unless we are satisfied that a driver left the track at this point for reasons beyond his control, having been forced off the track for example, every lap time achieved by leaving the track will be deleted in accordance with Article 12.3.1.d of the Sporting Code.”

Drivers will be referred to the stewards if it is found that a driver gained an advantage by running wide at Copse.

“During the race, any driver who appears to have gained a clear and lasting advantage by leaving the track at turn 9, or who repeatedly leaves the track at this corner, will be reported to the stewards.”

July 4, 2015
Changes to F1 Announced by Strategy Group

The F1 Strategy Group which met yesterday in Biggin Hill announced a few changes to the regulations for the current and future seasons in F1.

There will be restrictions on driver aids and driver coaching, especially during race starts. “Increased restrictions on driver aids and coaching received unanimous support and will be rapidly implemented, starting from this year’s Belgian Grand Prix – with a particular emphasis on race starts – and in 2016,” read a statement from the FIA. The FIA say that this will bring unpredictability to the sport and enhance the excitement.

The process of handing out penalties for power units, and how these penalties are applied will get an overhaul which was also unanimously agreed upon by the strategy group. The decision will need to be ratified by the F1 Commission at the World Motorsport Council next week in Mexico City. Further changes to the exhaust system on the cars are planned for 2016 to enhance the engine noise.

Staying on power engines it was also announced that new manufacturers entering the sport will receive and extra power unit per driver. This is good news for Honda and McLaren as it gives them some breathing room and it comes after both McLaren drivers were handed 25-place grid penalties at the Austrian Grand Prix.

“It was agreed to allow an extra power unit per driver in the first year to any new manufacturer entering the championship and, for the sake of fairness, the measure will apply retroactively to Honda for the 2015 season,” read the statement.

The FIA and FOM have been given a mandate to “propose a comprehensive set of measures for power unit development and cost of supply”. This will include a review of the token system that is currently in place where teams are only allowed to change certain elements of the power units by using development tokens. An increase in race fuel allowance and the use of engine dynamometers was also suggested.

Teams will now be given freedom of choice of tyre compounds for race weekends. The details are being finalised with Pirelli for 2016.

It looks like cars are set to look more aggressive from 2017. According to the FIA statement some of the changes will include “wider cars and wheels, new wings and floor shape and significantly increased aerodynamic downforce has been outlined and is currently being assessed by the teams.”

Finally a tweak to the race weekend format is in the works and is being evaluated by the FIA and FOM and we could see this happen for 2016. There are suggestions for a sprint race on a Saturday with a reduced number of laps for a race on Sunday. Over the years changes have been made to qualifying and practice sessions but the race format has pretty much stayed the same throughout the history of the sport. This has been billed by the FIA as “exciting and innovative”

July 2, 2015
Michelin tenders for F1 2017 return, says it’ll get F1 drivers pushing to the max again

Italian tyre manufacturer Pirelli has been the official and sole Formula One tyre supplier since 2011 but this may change following the FIA’s tender process for the 3-year contract beyond the 2016 F1 season.

Michelin has made an announcement via Twitter stating that they have lodged an official tender and confirmed their intentions to get Formula One drivers pushing to the max once again: “We have submitted our F1 proposal to (the) FIA. 18-inch (tyres) of course and ‘drive to the max’ tyre for the driver pleasure.”

Michelin has questioned the current status of tyres in F1 and is is adamant that it can move the sport in a better direction for teams, drivers and fans.

The French tyre manufacturer’s motorsport boss Pascal Couasnon believes that its product plan and a switch to 18-inch wheels would transform how drivers could attack in races. “Whether we’ll be selected or not, we’ll see,” he said.

“But I’d say we want to be coherent with our proposals and offer the opportunity to the teams and the drivers to have a tyre that enables everyone to express themselves and drive to the max.

“It will bring the pleasure back to racing. This hopefully should bring a show. We’ve seen this weekend in Le Mans that we can get a super show and performance.”

Couasnon also said that the plans by Michelin would put tyres back at the forefront of the technological battle and this is something that would be welcomed by the F1 paddock and fans of the sport.

“It would be wiser to talk about F1 through a technical challenge rather than hearing drivers saying ‘I can’t attack or go faster because of the tyre’,” he said. “So everybody could find satisfaction to see a candidate who wants the sport to be talked about in a positive way, rather than in a negative way.”

Michelin has also made it clear that while it is open to – and maybe even prefers – a tyre war – it could still benefit from being the sole F1 tyre supplier.

“We have always been open to rivalry,” Couasnon said. “Where it has a bit moved is in the question of whether there is no competition, do we still take part in any case?

“Our position is that what’s important is to have a technical challenge to make us progress. Will we be able to learn some things for tomorrow’s tyres?

“One of the solutions is indeed to have a rival facing you: in that case, you have an immediate challenge and motivation. But there are also the rules.

“When you are not allowed to change tyres and refuel at the same time at Le Mans, the teams need tyres that can handle several stints. So even without rivals, you’re being challenged in a technical way by your clients. That’s what we want to do in F1.

“If there are several tyre suppliers, perfect. If there is only one, then a switch to the 18-inch and a show made with tyres that you don’t change every 10 laps is already a pretty nice technical challenge that will be useful for all of us.”Italian company Pirelli has been the sport’s official sole supplier since 2011, but now the FIA has launched a new tender process for the three-year contract beyond 2016.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone however has seemingly put his support behind Formula One’s current F1 tyre supplier, Pirelli. He’s of the opinion that Michelin would produce a “rock-hard tyre” that would not be good for the show. He’s also voiced his disdain for the Michelin-preferred 18-inch wheel diameter saying that it “looks horrible” on single seaters.

The FIA will now assess all tender applications from a technical and safety perspective, before commercial negotiations with Ecclestone begin.

Pirelli’s Paul Hembery confirmed: “There is a phase when the FIA will evaluate the technical competences of people who want to supply and then there’s the important bit which is the commercial aspect with the promoter”.

“So there’s a timetable set out and we will know before the end of the year.”

June 17, 2015
Renault Could Walk Away From F1 if 2016 Rules Are Not Changed

Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has warned that Renault may walk away from F1 if the 2016 rules are not changed.

A loophole in the 2015 season rules was discovered and after a successful challenge by the teams, they were finally allowed to develop their engines during the season using a set number of tokens. Since the challenge, the FIA has moved to close the loophole and in season development of the engines during the 2016 season is now forbidden. The teams are required to use up their tokens and homologate their engines by 28 February 2016.

With Mercedes in such a strong position in the championship for the second season running, they will want to maintain their advantage and oppose any change to the rules which Ferrari, Renault and Honda are pushing for. The rule change would require unanimous support from all the teams and with Mercedes in the position that they are in at the moment, it is unlikely they will agree to any changes in the rules.

“The situation is we are at a precarious point in terms of Renault’s commitment to the future,” Horner said.

“If you are effectively shutting that down [the engine development] in February, you are almost waving goodbye to them,” he added.

Horner is calling for level heads to prevail at the FIA and Mercedes and he urges the parties involved to see the bigger picture and to consider the future of F1 as a sport.

“Mercedes need to have a bit of a grown-up think about it, and the FIA as well, to say what is in the best interests of Formula 1.

“If Formula 1 can afford to lose an engine manufacturer, then stick to February 28.”

Renault have been on the back foot since the start of the season with their engines. They have fallen further behind with their development and they have not spent any development tokens this season. It’s been a tough first quarter of the season for them with Red Bull already using their 4th and final allocated engine of the season for both of their drivers due to unreliability. Red Bull have been rather vocal about their issues and place the blame with Renault.

There were several high level meeting taking place at the Canadian Grand Prix where team bosses from Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren were present. Many believe discussions about customer teams have taken place and they may have taken place. But what about the engine rules? Surely there must have been a word or two about it.

June 8, 2015
FIA invites tyre makers to tender for 2017 F1 tyre deal

Formula One governing body, the FIA, has officially invited all interested tyre makers to tender to become F1 tyre supplier for the 2017, 2018 and 2019 FIA Formula One World Championships.

Pirelli, who are the current F1 tyre supplier, will see their deal expiring at the end of the 2016 season and will also need to tender if they wish to renew their contract.

According to an FIA statement, applications to become the sole F1 tyre supplier need to be lodged by June 17 2015 and candidates who meet the FIA’s technical and safety requirements will then approached a month later for final consideration and commercial contract negotiations.

As part of plans to improve the F1 show, the FIA is considering introducing wider tyres for 2017 which they hope will contribute to plans to make F1 cars five to six seconds per lap. It says it is also open to moving to a larger wheel diameter – currently 13 inches – if the chosen F1 tyre manufacturer feels there may be advantages to the Formula One teams by doing so.

Pirelli have been the official F1 tyre supplier since the start of the 2011 season. Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery told the official Formula 1 website: “We are happy with our involvement with Formula One. But 2017 is a while away and we have to still be confident that the sport is going forward – and still offers the same level of return. For us it is a pure business decision.”

May 22, 2015