Tag Archives: fia

Virgin fail to make their fuel tank large enough to last the race distance

Virgin seem to have managed to build themselves a car that doesn’t actually have a big enough fuel tank to last the race distance. That finishes off their chance of completing the next few races then, with them unable to get a new design together and built before the Spanish GP that means that something has to give at the next three races – will they run at half pace for some laps or will they just see how far they get?
It seems strange that they have managed to design themselves into this position, the refueling rules were the big change this year and all the other teams have managed it. It seems that they will have to cut the back off of their chassis and bond a new longer section to the back so that they can add the capacity to the fuel tank. Their application to the FIA [...]

Stefan GP and Toyota split up – for now…

Stefan GP – the team that tried and failed to take US F1’s position on the grid – has had a set back to it’s plans to enter F1. It’s main point was that it had the Toyota car, offices and technical support but now that agreement that was based upon Stefan GP actually gaining an entry has come to an end and the Stefan GP outfit has nothing again.
It seems that this saga will not end – though it does mean that Zoran Stefanovic is determined and that usually gets you what you want in F1. Bernie also still seems behind the outfit saying that it’s not all done and dusted and that we may yet see the team on the grid this year – though they would have to buy US F1’s entry and jump over some pretty big FIA hurdles to pull that one off. If this [...]

FIA reopens the bidding process for the last spot on the grid

With the failure of US F1 and the refusal to admit Stefan GP there is a vacant slot on the grid, to fill that for 2011 the FIA have opened up a new bidding process. If US F1 still has cash left it’ll have go through the whole process again with no guarantee that it will get an entry.
Hopefully the FIA look to cover the problems they had last time around and be a little more transparent about the requirements of any entry – like what engines they have to use, and also to set any teams granted the slot milestones that must be met. They have said that they will be appointing reserves to take up any unfilled positions which is an interesting statement as it’s possible that one or more of the teams racing this year will close it’s doors and would vacate another slot on the grid.
Candidates [...]

Did the new refuelling rules for F1 work in Bahrain?

This years Bahrain GP saw the introduction of a new rule, that the teams can’t refuel the car once it has left the pit lane for the race. This means that the cars must carry enough fuel for the entire race from the start. This means extra weight in the car for the whole distance and the end of the short sprints between pit stops.
When the rule was announced it was unclear what it would achieve in terms of improving the action but it seems the goal was to get rid of the sometimes confusing middle section of the race where different drivers are on different strategies and aren’t really racing each other. The teams are still required to run both tyre compounds during the race so the cars have to stop at least once but that stop can happen at any point in the GP now as the window [...]