Significant changes for the future of F1
In order to be able to respond quickly, the FIA has implemented a number of measures and changes to the F1 sporting regulations.
The management of F1 is known for being among the most political there is, with blocking powers in many different bodies, making any change complicated.
Unanimity is no longer mandatory.
But in the face of an unprecedented situation, the organization at Place de la Concorde has managed to adopt a number of essential changes for a rapid resumption of hostilities on the track when the health crisis has passed. The first and most important is that the unanimity of the teams will no longer be required for any change in the sporting regulations: normally, this applies from April 31 of the previous year. Now, only a 60% majority will be necessary.
Mandatory closure for motorists
But certain elements will no longer be open to debate and voting: from now on, the calendar can be modified at will by Jean Todt to rearrange races as quickly as possible. To give itself as much flexibility as possible, the FIA had already anticipated by moving the famous August summer break to March/April. But it has also decided to apply this restriction to the engine component of factories, which was previously excluded from this program.
One of the reasons is that Ferrari is the only engine manufacturer with its engine and chassis factory in the same location. However, the Italian authorities have currently imposed a lockdown that forces it to halt operations. In order not to create disadvantages on this front, the FIA is enforcing a shutdown for everyone, knowing that this break period could be extended depending on the directives of the different governments.
Fewer power unit elements available
In the quest to minimize costs as much as possible, it has also been planned to review the allocation of the different power unit components based on the number of races that might actually take place.
The distribution will thus evolve as follows:
| At least 15 races | 12 to 14 races | Up to 11 races | ||
| 1 | Internal combustion engines | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 2 | MGU-H | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | MGU-K | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | Turbochargers | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 5 | Battery | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 6 | Electronic control | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Prohibition to work on the 2022 single-seater
Earlier in the month, the FIA had made the decision to postpone the technical regulation change by one year, to 2022, while keeping the budget cap implementation for next year.
To ensure that teams do not take advantage of the current season, where expenses remain unlimited, to launch major developments in anticipation of 2022, the FIA has now banned all developments on the subject for 2020.
All these measures follow a logic of common sense. We can only hope that this mindset will be maintained in the coming months as all parties are still negotiating the next Concorde Agreements, which govern the entire distribution of teams’ revenues.
With the participation of www.racingbusiness.fr
