Regulation 2019 and the engine project for 2021 unveiled
The meeting of the F1 strategic group, which took place on Tuesday at the FIA headquarters in Paris, resulted in changes to the regulations for 2019 as well as an initial draft of the characteristics of the engines to be introduced in 2021.
The members of the F1 strategic group met yesterday at Place de la Concorde to discuss the outlines of the 2019 regulations and further clarify the engine regulations planned for 2021.
Let’s start with the changes planned for next season. First of all, the maximum amount of fuel allowed at the start of the race will increase from the current 100 kilograms to 110 kilograms next year. This amount has been increased to prevent drivers from having to manage their fuel too much. This is an even more important issue because this year’s cars are 5% heavier compared to 2017, which exacerbates the problem.
The increase in fuel flow per hour, however, has not been modified, to avoid a significant increase in fuel consumption by the engines. This also aims to reward manufacturers who have managed to design the most efficient engine in this field.
The second regulatory change concerns the weight of the drivers. Indeed, to avoid disadvantaging the heavier drivers on the grid, a minimum weight of 80 kilograms will now be allowed, regardless of the overall mass of the car. To be clearer, the weight of the drivers will no longer be considered when calculating the mandatory minimum weight of each single-seater.
Currently in F1, lighter drivers can run more ballast (for better weight distribution), as the Car+Driver is the minimum weight for the car. For 2019 there will be a car minimum weight & separate minimum weight for the driver+ballasted seat. So lighter drivers lose the advantage. pic.twitter.com/PJ19ogyzhy
— Craig Scarborough (@ScarbsTech) 17 avril 2018
Last modification concerning the 2019 season, all drivers must be equipped with biometric gloves to allow the FIA to have real-time access to vital data about them for better intervention in case of an accident.
Regarding the engine project for 2021, all the teams agreed to remove the MGU-H from the next generation of power units. This energy recovery component currently helps to boost the turbo at low revs. However, this system is considered too expensive and too complex to allow new engine manufacturers to enter the discipline.
In summary, the engine that will equip the single-seaters from 2021 onwards will still be a 1.6-liter V6 turbo hybrid with an MGU-K (kinetic energy recovery system). This system recovers energy from braking, which is then stored in batteries to be redeployed, providing a boost to the overall power of the engine thanks to the electrically powered motor. Be aware that other engine details will continue to be discussed in the coming months.
On the other hand, discussions regarding budget caps accompanied by a new distribution of revenues have been postponed. No agreement was reached either on the changes to be made to the cars for next year to improve the number of overtakes. It was almost certain that the teams would not agree in such a short time to make significant changes to the design of their cars for only two years of regulations.
