Formula 1: New Regulations for 2009, A New Era?

I am pretty sure that since the 2009 season changes where released by the FIA in 2006 this may have been covered numerous times before but this time I am going to put a slightly different spin on things, delve a little deeper and get some updated reaction from you guys now we have had a chance to settle into the 2008 season officially.

Formula 1 technology is moving at an alarming rate, race to race, week after week, even session after session new technologies are applied to these speed machines whether it is a tiny aerofoil that is welded to the side pod, a slight angle adjustment on the full front wing or something as audacious as the big elephant ears at the front of this years Honda. Whatever the changes may be it is certainly a task to keep on top of it all and follow just who is doing what?

2009 is no exception and there are some changes in the pipeline that could potentially change things on the track somewhat drastically, I am talking more driver input whilst out on the track, faster lap times, maybe slower lap times, possibly more retirements due to spins into the gravel traps. Maybe the sport is taking a step backwards or maybe this is step one in a whole new era of Formula 1 racing as we know it?

This year we have already seen a big change in terms of the loss of traction control, something that was put back on the cars due to the difficulty of the tracking of this rule by the FIA. But now with the updates of the ECU and technologies of the inner workings of the car a whole new door has opened and the traction control system has hit the road. I think the vast majority of us initially didn’t like the idea of this change but now we have had chance to see how the drivers have coped I am sure it is fair to say that 95% of us are all on board with it?

With that mindset I want you to take all of the following in, digest it and then constructively feedback your comments and don’t just pummel me with a torrent of abuse because:

A) I am not the FIA and I cannot do anything about it.

B) I don’t necessarily agree or disagree with the changes I just want to throw some opinions out there and see what you guys think on the changes?

So let’s get into the nitty gritty... I want to try and keep it as brief as I can because one of my main critics has been that I tend to go rambling on about things way too much so sorry if I go on, maybe I am just a tad too passionate for my own good.

Body Work

No more flipups, chimneys, winglets or louvres on top of the sidepod.

Significantly smaller barge boards in front of the sidepod.

Heavily revised diffuser dimensions.

Narrower rear wing.

Wider front wing, and with the centre (500mm wide) section being FIA homologated and standard profile.

Electronic, driver adjustable front wing angle to allow aero balance to be changed while following other cars, to aid overtaking.

What could this all mean? Are we going to see the cars going faster or slower due to these changes? Well, not necessarily slower: What will happen is a shift in grip where the teams will be focusing more on mechanical/tyre grip as opposed to aero grip but on the flipside these kinds of changes could result in more over taking maneuvers. The driver will have a control of the front wing so that when he/she are following a rival driver closely in today’s cars they would lose a lot of balance in the corners, with a slight adjustment made by the driver it means that they can maintain this balance right round the track and especially the corners making for long periods of pressure from a following driver.

Tyres

Slick tyres. Same outer dimensions as current tyres, but with grooves filled in.

Ohhhh back to slicks, the good old days, none of those fancy groove patterns, just pure rubber… Can you smell it? Formula 1 has not seen full slicks since 1998 when the grooved tyres where introduced, the tyre change kind of fits in with the aerodynamic changes being made. The rules stipulate that currently the dry racing tyres must have longitudinal grooves along the tread area. This was designed to curb speeds on the whole because there would be less contact with the road from the tyre. Slower speeds through corners were the result and on the whole slower lap times were seen, combined with the aero changes does this mean that it will be equaled out or are we looking to make the cars a whole lot faster in general due to all the mechanical and tyre grip?

In addition to this the use of tyre blankets is no longer allowed. No more pre heated tyres, they go on cold… You want heat? Get it yourself Lewis... Not necessarily, the guys at Bridgestone are working on a new compound to lower the optimum operating temperature levels, consequently it will be reached a lot quicker. Good news for Ferrari who of recent times have struggled to get tyre temperature but bad news for McLaren who loved the instant tyre temperature being there. Not so much now.

So, onto the big one…

KERS – Kinetic Energy Recovery System

Basically this is a system that is put into the car that could revolutionize the way seasons can turn out depending on how this system is utilized. Let me try and put this into layman’s terms for you, the driver puts his foot on the brake, the car slows down, while its slowing there is a system on the car that is capturing the energy used in braking. This is stored in a form called kilojoules of energy, this can then be released as a power boost to the car.  The unit will store around about 400 Kilojoules of energy from braking and when prompted this can be used in terms of an engine boost giving the car an extra 80BHP for around 6 seconds per lap.

This effectively, if used correctly in overtaking could be a “push to pass” button. There will have to be an element of tactics of when to use this button and it won’t just be able to be held on at all times because once used the system has to boost itself back to the equilibrium before it can be used again. This should take about 1 lap to recharge.

Miscellaneous

Other small changes rumored are:

The closing of the pit lane when a safety car is deployed may be abolished by the start of the 2009 season.

Testing restrictions, tyres used, and laps ran to change.

Possible budget cap change for all the teams involved.

So there you have it in a nutshell, what is in store for the 2009 season. I think that it’s certainly going to be a “dip your toe in to test” type period, I mean this could go HORRIBLY wrong due to the mass changes all being made at once. Let’s face it, aero changes, tyre changes and a new boost system all at the same time could be a disaster. Maybe one at a time will give teams a chance to focus on them one by one but with testing restrictions looming it doesn’t give the engineers much time to get their teeth into it. I can confirm that a lot of testing was recently done in Barcelona with some very positive results from all teams, in particular McLaren and Ferrari who both saw approaching a 2 to 3 second reduction in lap times.

So over to the floor, what do you think about these changes? Positives and negatives are welcomed. Like I said… I am just the author of the article, I didn’t sit next to Max or Bernie whilst all of this was agreed, I’m just the middleman people so don’t vent your anger or frustration at me for these bad/great changes! Just let me know what you think? Thanks for listening.

Ben, Over and Out!