Technical The 2010 F1 Sporting & Technical Regulations

Brogan

Legend
Staff Member
The FIA have published the 2010 regulations.

There are no big surprises really but a couple of points worth noting are:

  • Q3 will now be run in low-fuel configuration
  • KERS is still permitted, although the teams did agree not to use it but that may change...
  • Minimum weight increased to 620kg (due to KERS)
  • Tyre warmers are permitted, despite there being reports they would be banned on cost grounds
  • Both tyre compounds must still be used so pit stops will still take place

Q3 was always going to be minimum fuel after refuelling was banned.
Just after everyone had got used to calculating fuel adjusted grids too :D

Documents available here: http://www.fia.com/en-GB/sport/regulations/Pages/FIAFormulaOneWorldChampionship.aspx
 
Tyre warmers are permitted, despite there being reports they would be banned on cost grounds

How much do four electric blankets cost anyway? LOL

I'm glad that there will still be pitstops for fresh rubber but I'm still not a fan of this forced compound rule. Anything that's done to try and force an artificial result is a bad idea in my book. I know we've done a lot of research into the causes of the reduction in overtaking and the work on tyres proved inconclusive but I would love to see a return to a time when tyre strategy was as important as other aspects of the race. As we have a single tyre supplier it should be a simple job to make the compounds softer and offer teams the choice of 2 out of the 4 grades for each race and let them choose if they want to run one set for the whole race or chop and change. The limit on the number of tyres for a weekend could remain in place. Having said that of course, If the Brawns could find the perfect set for their car at every race then the title would be in Jensons back pocket by now so there are pros and cons to this.

Now that the cars are running in low fuel configeration in Q3 there should be a lot less variation in poll from race to race. Fastest car should equal poll.
 
I'm glad that there will still be pitstops for fresh rubber but I'm still not a fan of this forced compound rule. Anything that's done to try and force an artificial result is a bad idea in my book. I know we've done a lot of research into the causes of the reduction in overtaking and the work on tyres proved inconclusive but I would love to see a return to a time when tyre strategy was as important as other aspects of the race

I agree completely, the mixed compound rule seems to go against the publicised opinions of the sport. The more you make the regulations define the strategy the less likely driver involvement will effect the outcome.

Sure, the best car will move the driver up the grid, but looking at Brawn, Ferrari and McLaren this year is proof that this is a very variable situation. The regulations count race in, race out (for some) and this one is simply a smoothing excercise.
 
cider_and_toast said:
Now that the cars are running in low fuel configeration in Q3 there should be a lot less variation in poll from race to race. Fastest car should equal poll.
Which will mean less overtaking as the cars will line up in order of speed and hence it will be a procession?

I agree on the tyres, I'd like to see the teams choosing their own strategies and I'd also like to see another supplier at least.
 
Just catching up on a few old threads after a well-enjoyed holiday: -

Brogan said:
The FIA have published the 2010 regulations.

There are no big surprises really but a couple of points worth noting are:

  • Q3 will now be run in low-fuel configuration - Ok, happy with this and it makes sense anyway.
  • KERS is still permitted, although the teams did agree not to use it but that may change... - Now that McLaren and Ferrari have got their weight down, the advantages are there to see, so I'm ok with it staying, but would like to see it opened up more - E.g. Smaller, more frequent bursts, which might require smaller batteries, and they can use it as and when recharged, not 'x amount per lap'
  • Minimum weight increased to 620kg (due to KERS) - No problem with this either
  • Tyre warmers are permitted, despite there being reports they would be banned on cost grounds - Bad, this should not have been reversed (IMO). It used to be part of a driver's ability to get the most out of cold tyres (Sennas opening laps, anyone?), and they also introduce a performance differential
  • Both tyre compounds must still be used so pit stops will still take place - Again, in times gone by, tyre stops only happened because a driver couldn't look after his tyres for a whole race. Martin Brundle recently said that (paraphrased) "Going slow to look after your car and make sure it lasts isn't what F1 is about, it's about going fast". Well, not necessarily, and there are plenty of quotes to suggest the opposite: "To win by going as slowly as possible", "To finish first, first you must finish". It's a sign of where society has gone that even knowledgable commentators are advocating the "Wreck it till it breaks, then just get a new one" policy. Not very green, really. I'd like to see variable compounds (and even other suppliers, but that's a different argument) but the teams allowed to choose what compounds to use, and whether to stop at all. This is then dependent on their chassis, and calculations, not an enforced requirement. Bridgestone ought to be able to make a tyre last the race, (Goodyear, Firestone, Pirelli, Michelin amongst others used to manage it for decades), all they then need to do is produce slightly quicker, softer tyres that may not, and so introduce the option of pit-stopping. The trade-off is whether the quicker tyre gives you a 20-25sec advantage over the race length. The current approach appears to be the opposite - Design the tyre quickest over 1 lap, then produce slightly harder versions (that still won't last a complete race).

Q3 was always going to be minimum fuel after refuelling was banned.
Just after everyone had got used to calculating fuel adjusted grids too :D

Documents available here: http://www.fia.com/en-GB/sport/regulations/Pages/FIAFormulaOneWorldChampionship.aspx
 
Just to bring this thread back to life.

With the minimum weight being increased to 620 kg and fuel for the entire race being required, the cars are going to be quite a bit heavier at the start of a race than this year.

This will mean completely different set-ups with stiffer settings and more ground clearance to stop the cars bottoming out and the plank wearing too much.

However, Q3 will be run with minimal fuel and towards the end of the race the cars will be quite a bit lighter than at the start.

How will all this affect aero, slipstreaming, overtaking, running over kerbs, etc.?

Will they be able to adjust the suspension settings between Q3 and the race so they can take into account fuel loads?
Or is stuff like that covered under the parc fermé regulations?
 
Back
Top Bottom