F1 bosses have agreed to discuss rule changes for the 2017 season. The new regulations hope to make the cars faster, to improve the racing and to reduce the cost for the smaller teams.
Recently it has become clear that something needs to be changed in Formula One, with reducing TV audiences and less exciting racing. After trying out new rules, such as the elimination qualifying, F1 has been heavily criticised and politics have taken over from the racing.
However, the proposed rule changes for 2017 will aim to improve the racing and hopefully encourage more people to watch Formula One again. Although they are not yet finalised, here is a list of the current changes proposed.
Engines:
The hybrid engines introduced in 2014 are technical masterpieces, featuring the latest innovations regarding energy recovery systems, which is now being incorporated into road car technology. However, they are incredibly expensive and have resulted in many teams struggling financially. The new regulations for 2017 hope to reduce the price of customer engines.
Customer engines currently cost in the region of 18-23 million pounds but the new 2017 regulations would reduce these prices by 1 million, with them dropping to 12m in 2018. In addition, each driver will only be allow to use three rather than five engines per year from 2017.
After Red Bull almost found themselves without an engine supplier this year when they tried to drop the Renault power unit in order to switch to Mercedes of Ferrari power, Formula One engine suppliers have agreed an obligation to supply rule. Although this doesn’t mean that teams can demand an engine from a supplier, it should prevent a team from being left without an engine deal.
Also, Renault’s contract with F1 obliges them to supply engines to a team if they are requested to.
Noise:
The cars have been criticised for not being loud enough recently, even by F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone. However, there is work going on at the moment in order to increase and improve the sound from the engines.
Tyres:
Drivers have shown that they dislike the current tyres used in Formula One, preventing them from pushing hard throughout a race. The new rules hope to reduce the need to manage tyre degradation to allow drivers to drive flat out for more of the race. This will be achieved by making the degradation proportional to the tyre’s performance. This will mean the slower tyres should last much longer. Also, they want cars to be able to follow others closely without a significant increase in tyre degradation.
Cars:
The strategy group decided over a year ago that the cars needed to be made 5 seconds faster, as currently they are slower on many tracks than 10 years ago. However, Pirelli raised concerns that this would result on extra loads on the tyres, increasing degradation and risks of tyre failures. But they have now agreed on a compromised set of rules, which should still reduce lap times by up to 4 seconds.
The main proposed changes:
- wider tyres, to increase grip
- wider front and rear wings
- greater underfloor downforce
- wider cars – increasing track from 1800mm to 2000mm
In November, Mercedes wrote a letter voicing their concerns about these changes, saying that the increased downforce and power could put too much strain on the tyres. However, rivals rejected their claims, suggesting Mercedes were just trying to protect their lead. Although, Toto Wolff denied this by commenting that leaving the rules stable would give the other teams a better chance of catching up – which is what we have seen recently.
Some team members and fans have raised the concern that increased downforce may make overtaking harder and that the racing may suffer as a consequence. However Whiting has denied these claims, assuring us that:
“One of the things we have been talking about all along is the fact that we must not make it more difficult to follow another car, and that has been one of the underlying principles,”
So, if these rules are confirmed for next year we should be in for some big changes for 2017. Hopefully, they will be an improvement on the current regulations and not a step back.