Formula 1 Rule Changes for 2011 Season
The FIA has come up with a host of rule changes which will be in effect from the 2011 season. Some of these rules are mere clarifications that arose from certain events on the track in the recent past. The biggest change that the sport is about to experience is the change in Formula One’s tyre manufacturer. With the departure of Bridgestone, F 1 has entered into a three-year agreement with the Italian manufacturer Pirelli. Prior to this, Formula 1 broke off negotiations with Michelin who didn’t want to be the sole supplier.
The adjustable rear wings have been introduced for the next edition of Formula 1 but with certain limitations. The drivers will only be allowed to adjust the wings after two laps of the race have elapsed and only when they are within one second away from the other car. Adjustable wings have also been introduced to aid overtaking. However, it remains to be seen if this change will allow more overtaking. Doubts have come to haunt F 1 drivers as previous changes to encourage overtaking did not really serve the purpose. A less complicated alternative to reduce the down force has also been introduced for 2011 in the form of a ban on double diffusers which caused an awful lot of controversy since their introduction in 2009.
The minimum weight requirement has also been revised and from next year, each car will carry a minimum weight of 640 kg instead of the regular 620 kg. Making optimum use of this change will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. The additional 20 kg will aid drivers like Lewis Hamilton who are less efficient in using fuel.
The next season will also see the return of Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS). However, last year only saw seven cars which were equipped with KERS. With more manufacturers adopting the system, things could become very interesting as it will come down to the best possible use of this technology on each lap.
Another potentially controversial rule can be the reintroduction of the 107 % rule for qualifying. According to this rule, the driver whose best qualifying time exceeds the fastest time in Q1 will not be allowed to race. Given the fact that currently, there are 22 cars for each race and some are really slow with their speeds, the expected move will put a colossal amount of pressure on the newer teams which may result in their early elimination from Formula 1 racing. However, under certain circumstances, drivers with qualifying lap times falling out of 107% may still be allowed to race only if they were faster in earlier practices.
Apart from these changes, there have been some clarifications that will not involve much controversy. There has been a clarification to the safety car rule following the incident involving Schumacher and Alonso in Monaco. It clearly states that there will be no overtaking under the safety car in the last lap of the race and cars will finish the race as per their current positions. In the wake of another incident that took place in Canada that saw Hamilton pushing his car to the pits, the FIA has specifically stated that cars must have enough fuel to take them to the pits in both the qualifying round as well as the main race.
The World Motor Sport Council has also decided that Ho-Pin Tung will be granted a four race probationary super license based on comparative testing. The FIA has also agreed to penalize the drivers that are dangerous on the road.
Some of the manufacturers have also been anticipating clarification on the testing rule which has been the subject of much controversy in the recent past. Team Ferrari made a few changes to F10 and put Alonso on the wheel under the pretext of making a promotional film for Ferrari’s website. A number of teams questioned this exercise and termed it as a loophole in order to test their new components. Despite the controversy, no verdict on the clarification of a test ban rule has been passed by the FIA. Some of these rules do in fact promise to make Formula 1 racing much more interesting by allowing more overtaking and inducing a highly competitive environment on the race track. However, these changes could also prove to be meaningless as there is evidence from the past that the anticipation has been far greater than the actuality.
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