[F1] new rules = stupid

[TheDave]

1 set of tires per race?
2 races per engine?

why don't they just ban overtaking

[DarthInsinuate]

i don't see how it stops overtaking , i wasn't even aware there was overtaking in forumula one

[TheDave]

it means no-ones gonna push their luck

[SeK612]

i don't see how it stops overtaking , i wasn't even aware there was overtaking in forumula one

Possibly as overtaking tends to damage the tires as you move out of the racing line and onto dirty track. Overtaking does occur fairly frequently and is how people gain positions other to that which they started (combined with good/bad pit stops and factors such as crashes and retirements).

On the face of it those rules do seem a bit weird. The engine is fair enough I suppose but limiting both these and the tires will affect the weaker teams who don't have the finances to pour into engine and tire testing.

[Expire]

it means no-ones gonna push their luck

Yup...it means its gonna get EVEN more boooring.

[Peerzy]

If your doing really shit though you can crash your car/choose not to end the race, and then you can change your engine for the next race. It adds an element of tatics. Not that i've ever watched F1 apart from last night when they were talking about it.

[Adster]

well it did get boring teaching Ferrari win every week ........ go mark Webber!! finished 5th australian has won a race since alan jones i think a long time ago

[enoughfakefiles]

Have they introduced that rule where the driver gets out of his car in the pits and the mechanics spin them round a few times and them put them back in thier cars........

I do beleive the changes were made because ferrari were dominatig a bit with the never ending cash flow.

[sArA]

Part of the enjoyment of F1 was the tyre changes.... 7 second pit-stops and all that jazz.

Seems like they are clutching at straws trying to find any way to equalise the field and make for more exciting racing. I would imagine that Ferrari would be more than happy to agree, as I belive the viewing ratings and therefore merchandising opportunities were dropping.

Anything to get the money in.....

[{I}{K}{E}]

FIA Rules & Regulations Sporting Regulations
2005 season changes


A number of changes to both the Sporting and Technical Regulations have been made by the FIA for the 2005 Formula One season.

Qualifying
The 2005 race weekend will feature one qualifying session on Saturday afternoon and another on Sunday morning.

The first session will run from 1300 to 1400 on Saturday and will, as in 2004, be single lap qualifying, with the cars going out in the reverse order of their finishing positions at the previous race.

The second session, from 1000 to 1100 on Sunday, will also use the single lap format, with the cars going out in the reverse order of the qualifying on Saturday (i.e. the fastest car on Saturday runs last on Sunday).

The cars will run on Saturday with unrestricted fuel. They will then go into parc ferme after this qualifying session and for the Sunday qualifying session they will run with race fuel, having been allowed to refuel before the second qualifying session. They will not be allowed to refuel again before the race starts.

The times of the two sessions will be aggregated to determine the grid, with the shortest aggregate time in pole position.

Tyres
Drivers will have access to far fewer tyres in 2005 and will have to make a single set last through both qualifying sessions and the entire race. A tyre can only be changed during this time if it is punctured or damaged.

On Fridays, drivers will be able to test two different dry tyre compounds. Ahead of Saturday practice they must choose one of these for the remainder of the weekend. They will then be allocated three sets of this compound – one will be used in practice, one in qualifying and the race, and one kept in reserve in case of punctures or accident damage.

These changes will require harder compounds than in 2004 and will force drivers to drive with tyre preservation in mind. The knock-on effects will be slower lap times and much-revised race strategies.

Drivers will also have access to wet and extreme-weather tyres. These can only be used when the track is declared wet by the race director.

Engines
In 2004 engines had to last one race weekend. From 2005 they must last two – equivalent to a distance of around 1,500 kilometres (close to 1000 miles). If a driver requires an engine change ahead of qualifying, he will drop ten places on the grid for that race. If an engine is changed between the start of qualifying and the race the driver will be put to the back of the grid.

In both instances the driver concerned must use his new engine for the remainder of that meeting and the entire following grand prix weekend. If a driver fails to finish a race, he may start the next meeting with a new engine without penalty.

With even greater reliability required from the engines, these changes are likely to cut rev limits and power outputs, hence reducing car performance.

Aerodynamics
Aerodynamic regulations have been dramatically revised in a bid to reduce downforce and hence cut performance. The key changes are a higher nose and front wing section, a changed rear diffuser profile, and the bringing forward of the rear wing structure.

Initial estimates suggest that the changes could cut downforce by as much as 25 percent over 2004. Designers are likely to claw much of this back as their 2005 machines evolve, but slower laps times and trickier-handling cars would seem inevitable.