F1 pit stops will no longer be the same. Pic courtesy: Varlen. Licensed under creative commons
Anyone who thought that Formula One with all its billions could weather the financial storm was on the wrong track.
The economic crisis has hit the car manufacturers hard and massive budgets of motorsport’s elite could well be a thing of the past.
On Friday, the FIA approved a series of radical changes that are expected to cut costs by one third of present levels and alter the experience of F1.
The new regulations, detailed in a statement available on the official Formula One website, include a ban on in-season testing except during race weekend and scheduled practice next year.
Engines will now have to last three races. Teams are limited to eight engines per driver, with an additional four engines for testing.
A ban on tyre warmers and refuelling during races will be introduced in 2010.
Standardised transmission and shorter races could be brought in following market research.
As for the engine, a low cost power-train from Cosworth will be made available to all independent teams from 2010, at a fraction of present costs.
End of F1 as we know it?
Their elegies for the sport have already begun.
Fan complaints mention the three most visible aspects of change – standardised engines, ban on refuelling and the prospect of shorter races.
Viewers are concerned about F1 turning into A1 racing.
“We must wait and see what it will be like with a more equal field for the drivers to test their talents. I’ll be a different kind of racing,” says Vaishali D., motor sport journalist in India.
And how many times will all-out racing be sacrificed in favour of saving the engine for the demands of two more races?
Also, the ban on refuelling during races will mean that pit stops will be over in the three seconds it takes to change the tyres.
No more pit lane poker, splash-and-dash, or Fort Knoxesque guarding of fuel-load secrets.
No more sitting on the edge of your seat chewing your nails out while waiting to see how the minutely thought out strategies behind varying fuel loads unfold.
And we still wait to see the implications of this rule on qualifying.
As for shorter races…the mere suggestion leaves most fans incredulous.
Cutting-edge technology
FIA President Max Moseley insists that these changes will not affect how fans watch the sport.
“The only people who can really appreciate a 10m euros gearbox are the people who build it and take it apart,” he said to the BBC.
But motorsport purists argue that Formula One is as much an acknowledgement of smart engineering as it is about driving to win.
It’s about the barely noticeable cutting edge technology that can add one hundredths of a second and thus ten places on the grid for a car.
F1 advancements addressing the need for speed, safety and efficiency has found its way to road cars.
A changing sport
The new cost cutting measures follow the shock exit of car manufacturer Honda from F1 due to the financial situation.
Earlier during the season Japanese based Super Aguiri had pulled out, and many teams including Williams are operating with huge losses.
But this is not the first time F1 rules have been changed.
Since 1950 when the sport became official, new rules have been implemented almost every year. This included a ban on refuelling during races from 1984 to 1994.
The new F1 season, with 18 cars confirmed to race, will begin on 27 March with the Australian Grand Prix.
