Industry update
Liberty continues drive for cost-cutting and FIA closes oil-burning loopholes
The latest developments in the world of motorsport engineering
The FIA has opened the tenders for standard brake systems and wheel rims in Formula 1 from 2021, as part of its ongoing push to lower costs for teams.
It follows a tender issued for standard gearbox cassettes earlier this year, as F1 owner Liberty Media looks to rein in areas where teams spend a lot of money designing, testing and developing parts for minimal performance gains.
Two separate invitations have been opened for parties interested in supplying brake parts and wheel rims until 2024.
The brake tender is split into two parts: one for brake pads and friction discs, while the other involves a hydraulics system that comprises the front and rear calipers, a master cylinder and brake by wire components.
The wheel tender is for 18-inch rims, although there is scope for the wheel width to change slightly for 2021.
The submission date for all tenders is 22 May, with the FIA’S decision expected on 14 June.
Meanwhile, the FIA has made a number of minor changes to the F1 technical regulations for 2020 concerning clutch management, oil burning and the positioning of wing mirrors.
To place greater responsibility on the driver at the race start and create the potential for greater variation off the line, the clutch signals used by the standard ECU will also be heavily monitored by the FIA to limit any advantageous mapping. The paddle must work linearly with the clutch – meaning that the drivers’ actions must be wholly representative of the engagement of the clutch. To close off potential loopholes, pull-type paddleactivated clutches will also become mandatory.
The FIA has now specified that cars can fit only one auxiliary oil tank, which cannot exceed 2.5 litres, and the amount of fuel outside the survival cell has also been reduced from 2 litres to 0.25 litres, stopping any fuel-flow trickery or mixing of oil with fuel in other areas of the car.
Finally, to address concerns that the 2019-specification mirrors offer limited visibility, they must now be 30mm closer to the survival cell and 40mm lower.