FIA introduces new changes to F1 for 2011 - Adjustable wing and a ban on the F-Duct

[keshy]

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

 

[yeehau86]

Re: FIA introduces new changes to F1 for 2011 - Adjustable wing and a ban on the F-Du

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.

One thing in my mind: Isn't qualifying is about the determining the grid based on the fastest driver on track? Lots of changes to improve the speed of the cars, particularly with KERS reintroduce back after a year away due to lack of support (it is not cheap too). But yet the drivers have drive on a backfoot for Q3, this is bad for the sport man. I don't know what they are thinking, but definitely sometimes Q1 can be a disaster when you are stuck behind those back markers as there are 24 cars on track. No doubt. Then if you get a clear track infront of you in Q3, but you can't go any faster than your lap times in Q1, what a disaster for the driver. :stupid:

Actually I don't understand why they want to ban the F-duct system, because this is a new technology for the sport. We all can see that McLaren is freaking fast on the straight by stalling the air flow to the rear wing, which is good for overtaking. But "they" say this type of technology wouldn't apply to daily street cars as KERS do, that is why they ban it from next year as well as the double diffusers. Somehow these types of technology are not appreciated, but personally I adore their intelligence for coming up with it without touching the rules.

 

[dawg]

Re: FIA introduces new changes to F1 for 2011 - Adjustable wing and a ban on the F-Du

F-duct isnt a 'clever' technology, its more of a clever design. Its just a cheeky method of diverting the air flow to stall the rear wing. KERS would be more related when it comes to talking about technology.

 

[yeehau86]

Re: FIA introduces new changes to F1 for 2011 - Adjustable wing and a ban on the F-Du

depends on how other ppl see it from different angle, but it does work though just like the double diffusers. We have seen how KERS worked last year, and guess what, a non-KERS car won the championship.

I just hope next year won't be a repeat of last year, being compromised by the weight of the KERS ballast (since they increased the minimum weight to 640 kg), making the car heavier. So with something like NOS boost, but with heavier car, it almost offsets the advantage.

 

[dawg]

Re: FIA introduces new changes to F1 for 2011 - Adjustable wing and a ban on the F-Du

We did see how the KERS work last year and the system does what it was created for, to give an advantage in the straight from the generated energy. Which translated to a technological advancement. Cars with KERS does outperform cars without KERS, but because weight is so important in F1, it could be possible some of the engineers felt that the additional weight is not as appealing in some tracks that has more turns and less long distance straights to make full use of the KERS.

Now with the minimum weight raised, teams without KERS will be at a disadvantage, extra weight but no additional technology to increase power vs cars meeting with minimal weight and a technology that allows them a short power boost.

F1 is interested in seeing technology being transfered to road cars, and KERS is just one of the technology that heads the right direction possibly bringing out the fuel consumption by using up stored energy from braking. It would be weird to implement a F-Duct system to my car, so that when I drive in highway I put my hand on the roof or my foot against the firewall hole to channel the air to get 6mph faster. Not all road cars need a diffuser which is why not all road cars benefit from the F-duct, but the KERS will certainly always be able to be implemented in any road car.

 

[yeehau86]

Re: FIA introduces new changes to F1 for 2011 - Adjustable wing and a ban on the F-Du

actually there is a debate between cost cutting project and KERS, as we know, KERS ain't something cheap to implement. It need teams to spend millions of euros and time to develop the system, it is not like buying from pasar malam plug and play there you go, gaining few km/h faster. F1 cars are sensitive, teams need to allocate space to accommodate the ballast, hence needs to plan for the car design to suit the system. For those big teams, no problem for them since they got good cash flow in their company.That is why we will likely see Pirelli being the next sole tyre supplier instead of Michelin next year when Bridgestone pulls out from the sport because Pirelli offers lower cost tyres although Michelin have more experience in recent F1 years than Pirelli as Pirelli pulls out on 1993 or 1994 I can't remember.

And with the new teams joining in, it is not confirmed yet they will be implementing KERS too because budget is a contrain to them. Let's say they aren't able to implement KERS, then it will be a repeat of what last year has gone throught: 2 types of championship (Cars with KERS and cars without KERS).

No offense bro, just sharing my opinion and I know you are sharing yours too. We are just F1 maniacs

-Sharing is Caring-

 

[luqae]

Re: FIA introduces new changes to F1 for 2011 - Adjustable wing and a ban on the F-Du

one of the most annoying motorsport in the world changes regulation every single year nonsense!no wonder kimi and rober kubica are going into Rally and Pablo Montoya going into nascar.

better watch gt3,wtcc,wrc,irc heck better watch nascar going round and round the oval track overtaking and crashing than to watch f1 which are boring with minimum overtaking. F1 are becoming a sport for whimp, too commercialize and doesnt at all symbolize what racing is all about. with every year stupid regulation come to place damn how the hell a team can adapt to the changes of regulation?