Formula One regulations

The numerous Formula One regulations, made and enforced by the FIA and later the FISA, have changed dramatically since the first Formula One World Championship in 1950. This article covers the current state of F1 technical and sporting regulations, as well as the history of the technical regulations since 1950.

Current Rules and Regulations

Accurate as of July 2004

Technical

Chassis

An F1 car can be no more than 180 cm wide. Though there is no maximum length or height, other rules set indirect limits on these dimensions, and nearly every aspect of the car carries size regulations; consequently the various cars tend to be very close to the same size.

The car must only have four wheels mounted externally of the body work with only the front two steered and only the back two driven. There are minimum distances allowed between the wheels and the rear and front body work.

The main chassis contains a "safety cell" which includes the cockpit, a structure designed to reduce impact directly in front of the cockpit, and the fuel tank directly behind the cockpit. Additionally, the car must contain roll structures behind and ahead of the driver. The driver must be able to enter and exit the cockpit without any adjustments other than removing the steering wheel.

Onboard electrical and computer systems, once inspected at the start of the season, may not be changed without prior approval. Electronic starters and launch control are forbidden. The computers, which must contain a telemetric accident data reporting system, run a modified version of BSD.

Engine

Formula One engines may be no more than 3 litres engine displacement. They must have 10 cylinders, with a maximum of 5 valves per cylinder, and must be naturally aspirated.

Devices designed to pre-cool air before it enters the cylinders are not allowed. Nor is the injection of any substance into the cylinders other than air and fuel. Variable-length exhaust systems are also forbidden.

The crankshaft and camshafts must be made of steel or cast iron. For the cylinder block, cylinder head and pistons, the use of carbon composite materials is not allowed.

Separate starting devices may be used to start engines in the pits and on the grid. If the engine is fitted with an anti-stall device, this must be set to cut the engine within ten seconds in the event of an accident.

Sporting

Parc Fermé

After weighing during each qualifying session, teams are required to take their cars to a place in the paddock, sectioned off by the FIA, known as parc fermé; they may not do work on the cars, other than routine maintenance, until they are released from parc fermé for the race the next morning.

If a team must change a car's engine between parc fermé and the start of the race, the car will start at the back of the grid; if they must do other significant work, body work or suspension adjustments, the car will start from the pit lane.

Race procedure

See Formula One racing for a detailed schedule of a complete race weekend and further race information.

The pit lane opens thirty minutes before the start of a race, during which time drivers may drive around the track as much as they like, driving through the pitlane each time around in order to avoid the grid. Drivers must be in their cars and in place on the grid by time the pit lane closes at -15:00; otherwise they must start the race from the pits. Meanwhile, teams may work on their cars on the grid.

At -10:00 the grid is cleared of everyone except team mechanics, race marshals, and drivers. A team will generally want to keep its tires off of the car and heated as long as possible, but they must be attached to the cars by -5:00. Refuelling must also be finished by that time.

File:Start lights.jpg

The ten race start lights

Engines must be running by -1:00; at fifteen seconds to the start all personnel must be clear of the track. A green light signifies the start of the formation lap, also known as the parade lap, during which drivers must remain in the same order (no passing) except if a car ahead has stopped due to a technical problem. The cars circle the track once, usually weaving from side to side to warm up their tires, and form up again in their starting positions on the grid.

If, for some reason, the car cannot start the race (engine failure during qualifying or practice, suspension fails, etc), the car can still join the race, but will take a 10-position penalty at the start. For example, if the car qualifies in 3rd, but has to change an engine at any point during the race weekend prior to the actual race, the car will start from 13th position. For strategy's sake, a number of teams have opted to start from the pit lane after an engine detonation. Starting from the pit lane means they start at the tail end of the grid, however, they can not only change an engine, but also start the race on a full load of fuel and with fresh tires.

The race is started by ten red lights (pictured right), controlled by Charlie Whiting. The lights illuminate two at a time, left to right, in one-second intervals, and then go out simultaneously after an interval of between four and seven seconds. When the lights go out, the race begins.

Scoring

The Driver's and Constructor's Championships are decided by points, which are awarded according to the place in which a driver classifies at each grand prix. To receive points a racer need not finish the race, but at least 90 per cent of the winner's race distance must be completed. Therefore, it is possible for a driver to receive some points even though he retired before the end of the race. In that case the scoring is based on the distance completed in comparison to other drivers. It is also possible for the lower points not to be awarded (as at the 2005 United States Grand Prix) because insufficient drivers completed 90 per cent of the winner's distance. The system was revised in 2003, and as of 2005 points are allocated as follows:

• 1st place - 10 points
• 2nd place - 8 points
• 3rd place - 6 points
• 4th place - 5 points
• 5th place - 4 points
• 6th place - 3 points
• 7th place - 2 points
• 8th place - 1 point

Drivers finishing lower than eighth place receive no points.

If the race had for some reason to be abandoned before 75 per cent of the planned distance (rounded up to the nearest lap) had been completed, then the points awarded are halved: 5, 4, 3, 2.5, 2, 1.5, 1, 0.5.

Points are awarded equally to the driver and his constructor; for example, if a driver for one team comes second, eight points are added to his season total; if his teammate finished third in the same race, he adds six to his total and the team adds fourteen (the sum of the drivers' points) to its total. The championships are awarded to whichever driver and constructor have the most points at the end of the season. In case of a tie, the FIA compares the number of times each driver has finished in each position. The championship goes to whichever had the greater number of wins; if they have the same number of wins, it goes to the driver with the greater number of second places, and so on. For example, if Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost are tied at the end of a season, and Prost had six wins and three second place finishes, but Senna had six wins and four second place finishes (even if he had fewer third places than Prost, etc.), Senna would be champion.

Flags

Race marshals, armed with a set of flags to give various messages to drivers, are positioned at numerous points around the track during every race. Flags have different meanings depending on their color; the colors (with Pantone values as specified by the FIA) signify as follows:

File:F1 yellow flag.png	File:F1 green flag.png	File:F1 red flag.png	File:F1 light blue flag.png	File:F1 white flag.png	File:F1 black flag.png	File:F1 chequered flag.png	File:F1 black and white diagonal flag.png	File:F1 black flag with orange circle.png	File:F1 yellow flag with red stripes.png
YellowC	348C	186C	298C	[white]	BlackC	BlackC	BlackC	BlackC/151C	YellowC/186C

A yellow flag with SC (safety car) sign at the 2005 United States Grand Prix

A green flag, signalling the end of the safety car period

• A single yellow indicates danger ahead, such as debris from a crash. Drivers must slow down as they pass; no overtaking is permitted.
• A double yellow, consisting of two flagsmen waving yellow flags (or one waving two flags) at the same post, indicates great danger ahead. Drivers must slow down and be prepared to stop; no overtaking is permitted.
• A green flag indicates that any previous danger has been attended to, the track is now clear, and drivers may proceed at full speed.
• A red flag indicates that the race, practice session, or qualifying session has ended prematurely for any reason.
• A light blue flag may carry any of three meanings according to its context.
  • At any time, a stationary light blue flag (or, as is now more common, a blue light) may be shown to a driver at the pitlane exit to warn him that cars are approaching on the track.
  • During practice, a light blue flag waved on the track notifies a driver that a faster car is about to pass him and he must move aside.
  • During a race, a light blue flag waved on the track warns the driver that he is about to be lapped by a faster car and must let it pass. A driver may incur penalties if he ignores three successive blue flags.
• A white flag indicates a slow-moving vehicle such as an ambulance, tow truck, or safety car, ahead on the track, and instructs drivers to slow down. (It is NOT waved at the start of the final lap of the race.)
• A black flag orders a particular driver to return to his pit within the next lap and report immediately to the Clerk of the Course, usually because he has been disqualified from the race. The flag is accompanied by a sign with the car number of the driver on it so no mistake is made.
• A black and white chequered flag signals the end of the race, practice session, or qualifying session. During the race it is shown first to the winner and then to the rest of the field as they finish; otherwise it is shown at a predetermined time.
• A half black and half white flag informs a driver that his behavior has been deemed unsporting and if he does not shape up immediately he will be disqualified. A sign with the car number accompanies the flag.
• A black flag with an orange circle (40cm in diameter) in the center informs a driver that his team's telemetry has sensed a technical problem and he must return to his pit.
• A yellow flag with red stripes warns drivers that the track surface ahead is slippery.
• A white board with the letters "SC" indicates that the safety car has been deployed.

Flags, whose specifications are prescribed by Appendix H (PDF file) of the FIA's International Sporting Code, must measure at least 60cm by 80cm, excepting the red and chequered flags, which must measure at least 80cm by 100cm.

Penalties

Penalties may be imposed on drivers for numerous offenses, including starting prematurely, speeding in the pitlane, causing an accident, blocking unfairly, or ignoring flags of any color. There are four types of penalty which a driver may incur for violation of on-track rules:

• The drive-through penalty requires the driver to enter the pitlane, drive through it while obeying its speed limit, and exit without stopping.
• The ten-second (or stop-go) penalty requires the driver to enter the pitlane, stop at his pit for ten seconds, and exit again. Team mechanics may not work on the driver's car at all during this time.
• A more extreme penalty may be imposed for more severe infractions: adding ten places to the driver's grid position at the next grand prix, i.e. if he qualified in pole position he would start the race eleventh from the front.
• The most severe penalty is a black flag, which may be imposed for ignoring penalties or for technical irregularities of any sort; it signifies that the driver has been disqualified from the race and his results for that race will not count toward the championship.

For the drive-through and stop-go penalties, a driver has three laps from the time his team hears of the penalty to enter the pits; if he does not pit within three laps, he will be black-flagged. If he incurs a penalty within the last five laps of the race, he need not pit at all; instead, twenty-five seconds will be added to his total race time.

History

• 1950-1951: Naturally aspirated engines of 4500cc or supercharged engines of 1500cc allowed. No weight limit.

• 1952-1953: Formula 2 rules; naturally aspirated engines of 2000cc or supercharged engines of 500cc allowed. No weight limit.

• 1954-1960: naturally aspirated engines of 2500cc or supercharged engines of 750cc allowed. No weight limit.
  • 1957 aviation fuel with an octane rating of 130.

• 1961-1965: Naturally aspirated engines of 1500cc allowed. 450kg minimum weight.

• 1966-1985: Naturally aspirated engines of 3000cc or supercharged engines of 1500 allowed. 500kg minimum weight.
  • 1969 wings were banned for the Grand Prix weekend in Monaco. By end of year fixed wings no higher than the engine allowed.
  • 1970 530kg minimum weight
  • 1972 550kg minimum weight - maximum 12 cylinders (when)
  • 1976 Airboxes restricted
  • 1976 Tyrell introduce a six-wheel car
  • 1977 Renault introduce a turbo engine
  • 1978 Lotus introduce a Wing-car
  • 1981 585kg minimum weight; sliding skirts banned
  • 1982 six-wheels cars banned
  • 1983 Ground effects banned

• 1986 atmospheric engine banned

• 1987 the FIA introduced pop-off valves (4.0 bar) for supercharged engine and fuel restriction to 150 litres, 3500cc atmospheric allowed with no fuel restriction, no refuelling during the race.

• 1988 Turbo boost restricted to 2.5 bar.

• 1989-1994 3500cc atmospheric only.
  • 1994 Refuelling Permitted again.
  • After San Marino tragedy, airboxes 'notched' to reduce power.

• 1995-1998 3000cc atmospheric engines only.
  • 1995 the fuel used must be identical in composition to a sample (chemical fingerprint) which is submitted in advance to the racing authorities for approval
  • 1997 First appearance of side-mounted 'X-Wings'.

• 1998: Engines restricted to V10 with a maximum of five valves per cylinder. Grooved tyres introduced. Track (width) of cars narrowed from 2m to 1.8m. Electronic driver aids (traction control, launch control) banned. X-Wings banned.
• 2001 Front wing raised to be minimum of 15cm(?) from ground.
• 2002 Launch and Traction control allowed again.
• 2003 Two-way telemetry (which allows the pit crew to change the configuration of the car during the race) banned. Parc ferme introduced. Points system changed: points awarded to the top eight finishers. Team orders banned. Qualifiying system changed.
• 2004 One-engine-per-weekend rule introduced. Launch control banned.
• 2005 One engine must last two race weekends. One set of tyres for both qualifying and race; replacements due to damage must be as worn down as those already on the car; refuelling may not take place in the same pit stop as a tyre change. Front wing raised, rear wing brought forward, bodywork in front of rear wheels reduced.

to be done : crash test, minimal weight, fuel rules, aerodymics rules, tyre size, number of wheels.

External link

FIA official rules and regulations