FIA Modify New Procedures

The FIA have issued additional modifications to the new rules, stating these are now added due to "ongoing discussions with team managers and technical directors."

In a newly released clarification for the qualifying procedures, the FIA made the following changes (new wording appears in bold):

If a car stops on its flying lap red flags will be displayed around the circuit and the other car on the track must enter the pits. Under normal circumstances the pit exit light will be turned green five minutes after the signal to stop was given and the car which returned to the pits will be permitted a further attempt to qualify. The driver who has stopped will not be permitted to take any further part in that qualifying session.

Under these circumstances the car entering the pits may be refuelled and tyres may be changed, five minutes will also be added to the session time.

In a newly released clarification for the Parc Ferme procedures, the FIA made the following changes (new wording appears in bold):

...cars will be deemed to be in parc ferme from the end of their qualifying lap on Saturday until the green lights are illuminated at the start of the formation lap (for clarity, in the event of a delayed start or a race stoppage we refer here only to the first formation lap).

Between these times Teams may carry out the following work:

- cooling devices may be fitted;

- changes to improve the drivers comfort. In this context anything other than addition or removal or padding or similar material may only be carried out with the specific permission of the FIA Technical Delegate;

- a fuel breather may be fitted;

- bodywork may be removed and / or cleaned;

- cosmetic changes may be made to the bodywork;

- any part of the car may be cleaned;

- any parts which are removed from the car in order to carry out any work specifically permitted below must remain close to it and, at all times, be visible to the scrutineer assigned to the relevant car;

- fluids used for replenishment must conform to the same specification as

the original fluid.

[...]

Whilst the cars are being held we will allow two members from each Team (not two per car) to be in the FIA’s central parc ferme at any one time for the purpose of:

- checking tyre pressures;

- connecting a jump battery under the supervision of the FIA;

- downloading data by physical connection to the car under the supervision of the FIA;

- fitting water heaters;

- engine oil may be drained;

- changing tyres before the car is pushed back to the Team’s garage. These, or any other tyres, may be used when the car is returned to the central parc ferme the same evening and back to the Team’s garage on Sunday morning. The wheels and tyres used for qualifying will be marked and / or sealed by the scrutineers before being released to the Team;

- carrying out any work required by the FIA Technical Delegate.

[...]

Once the [Saturday] session has finished, and all preliminary checks have been carried out by the FIA, the cars held in the central parc ferme will be released simultaneously and Teams will be permitted to push them back to their garages. Cars will remain under parc ferme conditions throughout. From this point, and until 18.00, Teams will be permitted to carry out the following work under supervision of the scrutineers:

- wheels may be removed;

- removal of any parts genuinely necessary to carry out essential safety checks;

- engines may be started (an external fuel pressurising system may be used if necessary but only fuel on board the car may be used for running the engine);

- with the exception of fuel, fluids with a specific gravity less than 1.1 may be drained;

- draining and / or addition of compressed gases;

- heating devices may be fitted;

- on board electrical units may be freely accessed via a physical connection to the car;

[...]

At 08.00 on the day of the race, or earlier if the relevant Event timetable makes this necessary, Teams will be permitted to take their cars back to their garages where, again, they will remain under parc ferme conditions until the green lights are illuminated at the start of the formation lap. Only the following work on the cars will be permitted during this time:

- repair of bona fide accident damage ;

- wheels and tyres may be removed, rebalanced, tyre pressures adjusted and tyre heating devices fitted;

- during all reconnaissance laps every car must be fitted with the same wheels and tyres as the driver used for his qualifying lap, the race must also be started with these same wheels and tyres. If one or more tyres are damaged, and are deemed unusable by the FIA Technical Delegate, they may be replaced by other tyres which have been used for a greater number of laps than the damaged ones.

- with the exception of fuel, fluids with a specific gravity less than 1.1 may be drained and / or replenished, however, no replenishment may take place less than one hour before the pit lane opens for the race. In order to ensure that fluids are not being used as ballast, and that the car is therefore being raced as it was qualified, the FIA reserves the right to weigh cars at random during the hour preceding the opening of the pit lane. When a car is weighed in this way its weight must be within 3kg of its weight at the completion of its qualifying lap ;

- draining and / or addition of compressed gases;

- the aerodynamic set up of the front wing may be adjusted using the existing parts. No parts may be added, removed or replaced.

- on board electrical units may be freely accessed via a physical connection to the car;

- engines may be started (an external fuel pressurising system may be used if necessary but only fuel on board the car may be used for running the engine);

- the main electrical battery may be changed and a jump battery connected;

- if the second qualifying practice is held in wet conditions and the race is dry (or vice versa), tyres may be changed and changes may be made to brake cooling ducts;

- if the FIA technical delegate is satisfied that changes in climatic conditions necessitate alterations to the specification of a car these may be carried out but only with his explicit approval.

[...]

In order that the scrutineers may be completely satisfied that no alterations have been made to the suspension systems or aerodynamic configuration of the car (with the exception of the front wing) whilst in post-qualifying parc ferme, it must be clear from physical inspection that changes cannot be made without the use of tools.

In a newly released clarification for the spare car procedures, the FIA made the following changes (new wording appears in bold):

Between 10.00 and 16.00 on the day before first practice two cars per Team will undergo initial scrutineering. No further cars will be scrutineered unless, in the opinion of the FIA Technical Delegate, one of the above two is deemed beyond repair after being damaged in an accident on the track or suffers mechanical failure during warm up. Any mechanical failure on one of the two cars scrutineered which occurs prior to the beginning of warm up will not be considered grounds for use of a spare car.

If a spare car is used under these circumstances it will become the relevant driver’s race car. If the original car is subsequently repaired it will become the spare and be re-scrutineered if needed as laid out below.

The FIA Technical Delegate will normally carry out the bulk of the scrutineering checks on any spare car present on the day of the race. If any cars are needed before the start of the race, final checks will be carried out and scrutineering stickers issued accordingly.

In a newly released clarification for the screens and covers ban, the FIA made the following changes (new wording appears in bold):

The following are permitted:

- covers which are placed over damaged cars or components;

- a transparent tool tray, no more than 50mm deep, placed on top of the rear wing;

- warming or heat retaining covers for the engine and gearbox on the grid;

- a rear wing cover designed specifically to protect a mechanic starting the car from fire;

- tyre heating blankets;

- a cover over the car in the central parc ferme overnight;

- a cover over the car in the pit lane or grid if it is raining.