Should make things more interesting. I can't wait for the season to start:)

Full List of Changes (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/2701659.stm)

Formula One drivers will have to start races carrying the same fuel load they finish qualifying with after a change in the rules.
Team bosses will have to rethink race strategies under the new regulations which will prevent refuelling between the end of one-lap qualifying on Saturday and the race on Sunday.

With drivers favouring a low fuel load during qualifying, that could mean a whole new strategy on pit stops.

The warm-up session on Sunday mornings could be cancelled to negate the need to carry even more fuel.

Max Mosley, the president of the sport's governing body the FIA, is backing the change.

"The warm-up on Sunday should disappear and that is now the subject of a vote of the Formula One commission," said Mosley.

The new rule had been forced on race organisers because safety concerns meant teams had to be prevented from changing a car's mechanical set-up after qualifying, he explained.

"What will happen is that you will get some very interesting strategies going on," said Mosley.

"There will be the dilemma of do I want to be fast in qualifying and make an early pitstop or not."


Mosley also urged team bosses to resolve difficulties over a fund to help out the smaller outfits.

It had been thought that broad agreement had been reached for a cash pool to prevent more teams from following Prost and Arrows into liquidation but no further progress seems to have been made.


"I gather there are problems," said Mosley.

"It would be a great pity and very short-sighted for them (the team bosses) not to do something because if one more team goes out of business, then two of the remaining ones are going to have to run three cars.

"If we sink below 20 cars then out come the third cars and that is expensive and carries no benefits for them.

"So there is a very powerful case for everybody getting together to get us over this year."

i like most of the rule changes and although im a Ferrari and Schumy fan, i'd still obviously like the races to be close affairs rather than foregone conclusions.

Mind you, inspite of all these rule changes the Ferrari livery for the 2003 has already broken the existing Fiorano track record by almost a second !

I can't wait for the engines to purr back to life again :)

Well....... I can still see an all Ferrari year. As long there is considerable lee-way for constructors Ferrari will be on top (for this era, 5-10 years).


Unless each driver is in the same generic car, it will be even. That is not what F1 is about though..

GREAT NOW I HAVE TO REDO THE ARTICLE I WAS DOING ABOUT THE SEASON PREVIEW!!:kader: :f***: THAT STUPID FIA!!!

Honestly though, how is that going to make a difference? I mean it's not like you waste THAT many gallons when you do 1 or 2 laps of qualifying. I can only see a change in a matter of laps, not in a matter of strategic thinking or any of that non-sense.

Originally posted by JTNY
Well....... I can still see an all Ferrari year. As long there is considerable lee-way for constructors Ferrari will be on top (for this era, 5-10 years).


Unless each driver is in the same generic car, it will be even. That is not what F1 is about though..
5-10 years? Thats stretching it a bit don't you think? Besides, eventually Michael will retire and who will Ferrari turn to? The guy they made step down, and just about kiss the ground Schumi walks on? Very highly doubt it. And even then with Massa, he's still not going to be that much experienced even with testing, since he's not testing in draft or with the effect of other cars having gone through the same path as his car, other than that one season with Sauber which was less than satisfactory.

Originally posted by Hugo-45-Viana
5-10 years? Thats stretching it a bit don't you think? Besides, eventually Michael will retire and who will Ferrari turn to? The guy they made step down, and just about kiss the ground Schumi walks on? Very highly doubt it. And even then with Massa, he's still not going to be that much experienced even with testing, since he's not testing in draft or with the effect of other cars having gone through the same path as his car, other than that one season with Sauber which was less than satisfactory.


when Schumy does retire eventually, i think it will be Montoya who replaces him. He will be experienced by then and would do a good job imo. Schumacher was just as agressive as him when he just entered F1.

Originally posted by Hugo-45-Viana
GREAT NOW I HAVE TO REDO THE ARTICLE I WAS DOING ABOUT THE SEASON PREVIEW!!:kader: :f***: THAT STUPID FIA!!!

Honestly though, how is that going to make a difference? I mean it's not like you waste THAT many gallons when you do 1 or 2 laps of qualifying. I can only see a change in a matter of laps, not in a matter of strategic thinking or any of that non-sense.


errr..... i don't think you got the idea behind the new rule.

Ok lets say Ferrari qualify with a light car and only a few gallons of fuel , just enough to complete 5-6 laps. After this they will NOT be allowed to re-fuel for the race as per the new rule. So they will have to pit within a few laps of the race and thus the advantage gained during qualification will be nullified.

Similarly if Ferrari qualify with a car full of fuel, they may lose a position or 2 during qualifying but can make that up during the race if the lighter cars have to pit earlier.

Get it ??

Its a well thought of rule-change .

Originally posted by IceBlu
Its a well thought of rule-change .

yeah i agree :)

Yeah but I dont think that many teams go with the lightest fuel, which is a reason why testing times are often faster than race times.

you dont think? they of course use lighter fuel so their weight is much less.

I think its a very good rule