Revised Radio Restrictions

REVISED RADIO RESTRICTIONS PUT IN PLACE

    The FIA have tightened the rules on radio restrictions following Nico Rosberg’s ten second penalty after the British Grand Prix.

    Not only will the restrictions now apply whenever the car isn’t in the pit lane, but drivers must be given a message to come into the pits if they receive any indication of problems with the car.

    The rules that came in at the start of the year state that teams can inform drivers of a “critical problem” with the car, with failure “imminent and potentially terminal”. The change removes the “critical” aspect, but drivers must be instructed to come into the pits to solve the problem.

    The rule now reads: “Indication of a problem with the car. Any message of this sort must include an irreversible instruction to enter the pits to rectify the problem or to retire the car.”

    Item three of the list of permitted messages has also changed. What was previously “information concerning damage to the car” is now “information concerning damage to the bodywork of the car”.

    Also changed is item four. This now reads:

    “Instructions to select driver defaults. This must be for the sole purpose of mitigating loss of function of a sensor, actuator, or controller whose degradation of failure was not detected and handled by the on-board software.”

    When the rules apply has also changed. When the rules came in at the start of the year, radio restrictions started when the car left the garage. This has been relaxed, with restrictions only applying when the car isn’t in the pit lane, with the exception of the slow down lap after the end of the race.

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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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Revised Qualifying Explained

Qualifying got a shake up after a new format had been approved by the FIA. The controversial format is elimination style, and debuted at the opening Grand Prix in Australia just a few days ago.

The Format, which some see as complicated, retains the three sessions which will decide the grid in stages, but the layout of these sessions had changed

The first round of qualifying is sixteen minutes long. After the first seven minutes, the slowest driver is eliminated from the session. Every minute and a half from this point, the next slowest driver is eliminated until the chequered flag.

Fifteen drivers will progress to Q2.

The second round of qualifying, fifteen minutes long, follows the same format as the first, with the first driver being eliminated after six minutes.

Eight drivers will progress to Q3.

The third and final round of qualifying will be fourteen minutes long. After the first five minutes, the slowest driver is eliminated, with the next slowest driver being eliminated every minute and a half until, with only ninety sessions of qualifying left, only two drivers remain.

The FIA hoped the change would mix up the grid and make the races the following day more exciting and make the Saturday more interesting for the fans, but many of the personalities in Formula One, both on and off track, disliked the new format.

“I hope it stays simple, that’s important, and maybe is a bit more exciting during the qualifying,” Nico Rosberg told Autosport, ahead of the Australian GP Qualifying.

Carlos Sainz agreed with Rosberg’s concern.

“I read them very briefly and I didn’t understand them,” he said. “If it makes things more spectacular, then it’s welcome. I just hope that the fans that are not big fans of Formula 1 and just turn on their TV on Sunday understand it and they know what’s happening.”

There was also concerns that the new format wouldn’t be ready in time for the season opener on the 19th due to the software changes required.

However, they did run this revised version and after many complaints from teams, drivers, fans and media, the FIA decided to drop the revised version and Qualifying will return to its normal ways starting at the next race in Bahrain.
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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
Edited By: Amy Hawk
No copyright infringement intended

Adrian Sutil angry over Weight Restrictions

 (I do not own this photo. Photo Credit To: Rachf1.com)


     Current Sauber F1 Team driver, Adrian Sutil, has been very open about criticizing the current Formula 1 Weight Rescticitons.

     Sutil, who is among the other taller drivers has opened up about the dangerous aspects of having to lose weight at his height, for the benefit of the car going faster. The German driver, who drove for team Sahara Force India last year, has been quoted for saying that he is not driving with a water bottle in his car for this season. This is quite a dangerous task, as some drivers may lose up to 12 pounds during a race from constant sweating and need to be constantly re-hydrating.

        His team-mate, Esteban Gutierrez is also one of the taller drivers, along with Nico Hulkenberg and Jenson Button. All four of them undergo vigorous training routines and hardcore diets just to maintain a weight that's suitable for their car. The shorter drivers don't have as much of a problem, as they are naturally thinner for their height. Because of this, not many people/drivers want to call for a change in weight limits. 

         In the future, we could see the weight limit raised if drivers are becoming dizzy and/or passing out during the sessions. The bottom-line is that as it stand right now, the restrictions are dangerous and could cause serious harm to the drivers.


Article Written By: Amy Hawk.
No Copyright Infringement Intended.