Tag Archives: regulations

Feb201014

Rob

0

What’s with all these long runs in the F1 tests? It’s all down to the tyres.

The first two Formula 1 pre-season tests seem have included more long runs than in previous years, but why? I’d say that it’s down to the refueling rule changes for the 2010 season as well as some of the technical regulations around the size of the tyres.
Last year with the re-introduction of slick tyres the teams kept the same size tyres that they had in the grooved days this meant that proportionally the front tyres gained more grip. This was because both front and rear had four grooves that were now part of the contact patch, with the rear tyre being wider it meant that the four grooves worth of grip supplied was less in percentage terms than returning the four grooves to the front. This change upset the balance of the car with the front now being more grippy than the rear. The 2010 regulations revert this balance by [...]

Feb201009

Rob

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The new Force India is unveiled to the world

The new Force India is unveiled to the world

The new Force India has a lot to live up to, last year they placed second at GP and so this year, logically they should be aiming for a win. I doubt whether that is there aim though, more likely reliability and constant points finishes would be, helped in no small part by the new points system.
With rumours about the financial uncertainty of the parent company circling they will want to ensure that they speak through the times on the track and I guess there is no reason to suspect that the new car will be any slower than the old one. They have two drivers who have a decent amount of experience though no one like Giancarlo Fisichella this year to develop the car. The new car looks much the same as the others that have been released, I guess that’s not all that surprising given the stability of [...]

Feb201006

Rob

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2010 To ban refueling – no more splash and dash

The 2010 regulations have changed so that refueling during the race is banned. This means that the teams don’t have to deal with the dodgy fuel rigs and that the pit lane will be a safer place. Does it improve the racing though?
I’m on the same side as Martin Brundle and Bernie Eccelstone here, I think this rule is bad for the sport. The tactics that came out of refueling made some grand prix and didn’t ruin the others. It made more overtaking opportunities where light cars caught heavier ones and cars that were out of place had to overtake.
I guess that there will still be pit stops for tyres and that the teams will have to stop to change them but it’s not the same, all pit stops will now be the same length – no more short fills for position. It seems that putting the fuel in or [...]

Feb201002

Rob

0

Now you get points for just turning up…

Another rule change in F1 for 2010 is the points system, there will now be more points available to drivers for winning and there will be points down to tenth place. This rule is very dumb in my opinion, not only will teams get points for essentially “turning up” but all the record books will now be invalid.
Take a driver like Giancarlo Fisichella, a veteran of 14 F1 seasons, he has a total of 275 points to his name. Now Jenson Button last year would have scored 244 pts using the new system, in what was essentially not a dominant year. I don’t really understand what the problem was with 10-6-4-3-2-1. I don’t see the point in rewarding teams that haven’t performed well. The rookies will all have a good chance at scoring points this year too. We’ve had races in the past where less than 10 cars finish [...]