The Formula One Strategy Group announced on Friday that they are planning to bring back refuelling as well as making changes that would make the cars 5 to 6 seconds faster. They have come up with a series of rule changes aimed to make the racing more interesting and much faster.
The proposed rule change which would allow drivers to use 5 engines this season instead of 4, has been rejected. This means that teams such as Red Bull, will certainly be receiving penalties soon.
Tyres
From 2016 onwards, teams will have a choice of which two dry tyre compounds of the four that they will bring to the race weekend. This will mean they will have more freedom in terms of strategy and hopefully we will see a variety of strategies, making the racing more interesting to watch.
During races, drivers are having to slow down in order to manage tyres, and they are critical of this – wanting to be able to drive flat out for the whole race. Ecclestone is against Michelin returning to F1, saying that the tyres last too long. This would mean the teams wouldn’t need to make as many stops. However, if refuelling is reintroduced pitting would be necessary anyway.
Refuelling
Banned in 2009 as an attempt to cut costs, refuelling is set to return in 2017. The maximum fuel limit will remain the same though, as the development of the engines is currently assisting with research for road cars. The reason for allowing refuelling is that, with lighter fuel loads, the cars will be able to go much faster. However, some are opposed to this change due to the high costs involved with refuelling.
Faster Cars
Recently, many drivers and fans have been complaining that the cars are too slow and are not loud enough. In order to address this issue, many changes have been discussed. These changes include:
- Wider tyres
- Reduced weight
- Aerodynamic development
- Higher revs
- Increased noise
Toto Wolff says that: “We have agreed to increase the width of the cars and tyres, and have larger front and rear wings. We want to ban the driver-aid aspect of starts, so no pre-calibrated starts and have the drivers start using hand clutches.”
Currently, the cars reach about 11,000rpm, but by reducing the number of gears to six, they should exceed 15,000rpm. Discussed was also the suggestion of another exhaust pipe, which will increase the noise of the cars.
Other discussed changes include:
- A reflection of the race weekend format
- Measures to make starts only activated by the driver without outside assistance
These changes are not yet confirmed and will need further investigation. The meeting on Thursday has certainly come up with some interesting changes to the racing. Many fans have been hoping to see changes to make the racing better for a long time and hopefully we will see some significant improvements to the racing in the next few years.