A raft of changes to Formula One's regulations has been decided upon by the FIA's World Motor Sport Council (WMSC), in order to improve racing and tidy up a number of loose ends.
From 2011 adjustable rear wings will be allowed to promote overtaking, in the hope of encouraging cars to draft one another down the straights. In addition F-ducts will be banned.
"In the race, you can't use it [the wing] for the first two laps at all, but after that if you're within a second of the car in front then you will be able to deploy it," McLaren's engineering director Paddy Lowe explained. "So that will be very interesting. That's a FOTA [Formula One Teams' Association] initiative to improve the show and I think it's very exciting."
Also coming into force next year is the reintroduction of the 107% qualifying rule.
"From 2011, any driver whose best qualifying lap exceeds 107% of the fastest Q1 qualifying time will not be allowed to take part in the race," said the FIA statement. "Under exceptional circumstances, however, which may include setting a suitable lap time in a free practice session, the stewards may permit the car to start the race. Should there be more than one driver accepted in this manner, the grid order will be determined by the stewards."
With Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) returning in 2011 the minimum weight of the car will be increased to 640kg to accommodate the extra bulk.
Coming in with immediate effect is a tightening up of the in-lap rules during qualifying, as a direct result of Lewis Hamilton stopping on track after taking pole in qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix. Drivers must now stay under a maximum time - decided before each race - on the way back to the pits, although the punishment has not been revealed. And in the wake of the controversy involving Michael Schumacher passing Fernando Alonso at the end of the Monaco Grand Prix, the FIA has ruled that there will be no overtaking even when the safety car pulls in on the last lap of a race.
As a response to the spygate and crashgate scandals, it is also "under consideration" that staff of F1 teams must hold "specific licenses" from 2011 that can be revoked by the FIA.
Meanwhile, a "four-race probationary super license" has been approved for Renault's official third driver Ho-Pin Tung.
Source: ESPNF1
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