UNDER THE HOOD
‘NEW DEAL’ RULES CHANGE F1’S PRIORITIES
Pat Symonds on Formula 1’s ‘new deal’ rules
Nothing could ever offset the humanitarian disaster that COVID-19 has presented to every aspect of our lives, but the strength of a civilised society is seen in its response to a crisis. Be it financial, medical or societal, there are many examples where adversity has been a precursor to an emergence into a leaner, fitter and more efficient way of doing things.
So it has come to pass in Formula 1 too. After the full impact of events in Melbourne hit home, both FOM and the FIA began working to see what could be done not just to survive the short-term effects of the virus but to seize the opportunity to bring Formula 1 back in a manner that would be more sustainable for the teams as well as providing the fans with the best possible spectacle under the inevitably difficult circumstances that the 2020 season was going to present.
The result was in effect a ‘new deal’ for F1 with 23 specific changes and a multitude of sub-changes within these broader headlines. There was also a commitment to continue the work and car build budget was already spent and thoughts were already turning to the very different requirements, and hence investment in, the new regulations for 2021. It was therefore a no-brainer to delay that car for a year and introduce it for 2022 instead. That is not to say that the need for a car that could potentially level the playing field and allow closer racing went away, it has not. But priorities have changed.
Such is the competitive instinct of F1 teams that a simple delay would have just allowed those with money to invest it in developing a 2021 car even if the regulations were not to change. This led to a decision to freeze a large list of components between 2020 and 2021. These included major structures such as the chassis and gearbox but with some limited ability, using a token system, to make changes associated with team’s specific need – such as Mclaren’s impending switch back to Mercedes engines.
Remaining on the technical front, aerodynamic changes were not encompassed in the freeze but the existing aerodynamic test restrictions were tightened further – by 20% – for this season. More significantly, they will be tightened further still for 2021, while also applying differently to different teams based on their finishing positions in the championship. The winner of the 2020 constructors’ title will be allowed 36 windtunnel runs a week, a significant reduction from the 65 runs previously allowed. A sliding scale results in the team finishing tenth in the championship being allowed 45 runs per week. develop ideas and themes further as the year and season progresses.
Certain emergency operational provisions were introduced specifically to deal with infection control, but more fundamental were the changes made that will have far reaching, and I believe extremely beneficial, effects on our sport.
The first aim was to protect the teams from the direct effect of the inevitable loss of income that the shortened season would bring. A team’s budget has many facets: a large part is spent on building the cars themselves and upgrading them as the season progresses. With everything ready to go in Australia in March, a fair proportion of the