F1 2023 - News/Regulation change/Developments

ummm what?

open wheel = no fenders
wheel covers are the stupid hubcaps. they were going to have LED messages...(yes, the tech exists, it's actually pretty old)

 

I missed that post. Do you have a post # for reference?

 

Belgian Grand Prix in 2024?
"The circuit management has been at Formula One in London today and there is 95 per cent of a deal. The deal is practically complete. Things look good for 2025 as well," a Spa spokesperson told GPblog.

 

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/pirelli-will-introduce-tougher-new-f1-tyre-construction-from-british-gp/10468326/

Pirelli will introduce tougher new F1 tyre construction from British GP
Formula 1 supplier Pirelli will introduce a new tougher tyre construction from the British Grand Prix to help cope with a rapid escalation in car performance.

Amid the backdrop of teams having started to unlock dramatic gains in downforce with the 2023 cars, Pirelli feels it makes sense to intervene and introduce stronger tyres in time for the Silverstone race in July.

The move is not being made because of safety concerns, but more as a bid to guarantee no problems further down the line. The compounds of the new tyres will be identical to what is currently being used.

Pirelli has been mindful for a few weeks about the gains teams have been making with their cars, with sources suggesting that downforce levels being produced are on a par with what was anticipated for the end of the current season.

Furthermore, the dramatic improvement in lap time at last weekend’s Miami Grand Prix has highlighted that, as teams prepare to bring even more upgrades over the next few races, cars are only going to get quicker.

Following discussions with the FIA, Pirelli has decided that as F1 prepares for some of its most challenging tracks over the summer – such as Silverstone, Spa and Zandvoort – it is logical to take action to avoid the risk of any tyre troubles.

Earlier this week, Pirelli proposed to the FIA to be allowed to introduce a new construction of tyre from the British Grand Prix on 9 July.

 

Thanks Liberty LOL Enough of 'Superbowl' events. Stop it!

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/has-f1-become-overly-reliant-on-street-tracks-and-do-they-hurt-the-racing/10482586/

Has F1 become overly reliant on street tracks, and do they hurt the racing?
When Fernando Alonso - the oldest driver on the current Formula 1 grid - made his topflight debut in 2001, street tracks were still something of a novelty.

Of a 17-race calendar, only Melbourne, Monaco and Montreal took the championship away from permanent circuits.

Wind on to 2023 and the balance has shifted to eight street venues versus 14.

And following the cancellation of the Chinese and Emilia Romagna Grands Prix, from the eight rounds run so far, only the Bahrain curtain-raiser and most recent hop to Barcelona have taken place at anything that might qualify as a ‘traditional’ circuit.

There is a little bit more nuance since the Jeddah Corniche lap is barely a street circuit with its snooker table-smooth surface. Albert Park is something of a hybrid and Miami's tour around the Hard Rock Stadium is borderline bespoke for F1.

Although championship owner Liberty Media is achieving its goal of turning more races into major city-based festivals, the on-track spectacle hasn't necessarily kept pace.

Amid fan complaints about how dull the early races of F1 in 2023 have been, street races have certainly copped their fair share of flak.

 

https://f1i.com/news/477465-f1-not-ready-for-blanket-free-tyres-says-very-concerned-russell.html

F1 not ready for blanket-free tyres says 'very concerned' Russell
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© XPB

Michael Delaney 16/06/2023 at 10:51

George Russell believes F1 is not ready to dispense with tyre warmers and says "there will be crashes" if the sport bans blankets from next season.

As part of its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, Formula 1 is seeking to impose a ban on electric tyre blankets from 2024.

Despite the complexity of producing a tyre that would not require pre-warming, Pirelli has made progress with its product which was tested in Barcelona recently and which will be assessed again at a post-British Grand Prix test at Silverstone next month.

The proposed ban on blankets for next season will then face a final vote at the end of July involving Formula 1, the teams and the FIA.

But Russell, who tested Pirelli's blanket-free tyre in Barcelona last week along with Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, believes the high temperatures and specific track features in Spain may have exaggerated the prototype tyre's performance.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/65920407

Bridgestone has lodged a bid to become Formula 1's tyre supplier from 2025.

Senior sources have told BBC Sport the tender document submitted is "impressive" and the Japanese company is being seriously considered as an option to replace Pirelli.

The Italian company, which has supplied F1 since 2011, wants to continue.

The drivers are aware of Bridgestone's bid and some are supportive of the idea of it being F1's new supplier as a result of frustrations with Pirelli.

Drivers have been urging Pirelli for years to produce a tyre that is less sensitive to overheating when pushed hard or trying to overtake.

Insiders say Bridgestone has pledged as part of its bid that it can produce a tyre on which drivers can push harder for longer.

Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and and Nico Hulkenberg are the only active drivers to have experience of driving on Bridgestone tyres in F1. They used them from 2007 to 2010, after which the company pulled out of F1.

A leading driver told BBC Sport that the two multiple champions have been vocal within the driver group in expressing their approval of the way Bridgestone tyres behaved when the company was last in F1, especially for the way they could drive flat out throughout grands prix without fear of the tyres overheating.

However, some senior figures are sceptical of the wisdom of changing supplier, saying Pirelli has been a loyal partner of F1 for more than a decade, has been effective and supportive, and there is no guarantee a replacement tyre company would do a better job.

 

Mercedes: F1 should make car weight a team problem
Mercedes technical director James Allison believes the best way to reduce the weight of Formula 1 cars in the future is to make it a team problem.

As revealed by Autosport, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem are eyeing a reduction in car weight for the next rules cycle in 2026.

F1's current generation of cars has a minimum weight of 798kg, which is the highest they have ever been in the history of the world championship.

With F1 braced for the potential for larger batteries in 2026 as a consequence of a greater contribution from electrical power, there are concerns that cars could get even heavier, which is why efforts will be made to bring things down.

But with the mass of the cars being so high now because of necessary safety devices and the hybrid components, there is some scepticism about how much of a step change can be done to bring the weight down.

Allison has suggested an alternative approach, however, is not trying to mandate specific areas of the car that can be made lighter.

Instead, he suggests that if the FIA simply reduces the minimum weight of the cars, then teams will naturally be forced to find ways to make the cars lighter.

 

Just like in politics, it's good to alternate tyre supply.

Pirelli are too complacent; it's time for a reality check for them.

 

How do they expect to reduce the weight of F1 cars, when they have to carry an ICE and its fuel, then an electric motor and its battery, plus all the ancillaries and safety equipment. The cars are heavy, because they are hybrid ! Same for street cars.

 

Add a rule whereby teams can selectively remove things from the PU in order to loose weight and HP.
If that unit of weight {Turbo, MGU-H, MGU-K, batteries, ...} are not adding performance, they can be removed.

Once you loose 100Kg, then you start making the {suspension, chassis, bodywork} lighter.

 

I would remove all the hybrid system and just keep a turbo ICE. That would allow for a shorter wheelbase, and lower the weight considerably. Although possibly the fuel tank would be larger? The loss in power would be compesated by the lower weight (150kg ?), and the handling and braking improved by the mass reduction.
In street cars like in F1, the hybrid solution is the worst of both worlds, and a blind alley: it's full electric, or free ICE.
At the moment, F1 is sitting between 2 chairs !

 

Me, I might favor the ICE+MGU-H+MGU-K and dispense with the battery pack altogether.
MGU-H and MGU-K channel heat energy in the turbo to the rear wheels once maximum boost is achieved.

But I basically agree that Hybrid is the worst of both worlds.

 

F1 teams set to reject blanket-free slick tyres for 2024
Formula 1 teams appear unlikely to support a move to introduce blanket-free slick tyres in 2024 when a decision is made at the end of next month.

 

The FIA is like driving in a blind alley without reverse.

Pirelli should tell them the truth: You cannot use slick tyres without pre-warming them.

 

Happens all the time in lower echelons.

You drive conservatively until the come up to temperature.

 

Glad you say in lower echelons. But it's not without problem, as often the tyres are solicited before they are fully at temperature.
I was expecting a more intelligent solution from you, like proposing several warming laps at speed before the start.
But that is still not a solution for tyre changes during the race.

Slicks are also used in hillclimbs where tyre blankets are not allowed.
When you have only one go, you don't have the option to "drive conservatively until they come up to temperature", do you ?
Drivers waiting in line to the start do burnouts to heat their tyres, just like drag racers, using trick brakes on the front axle to do that.
The area near the start soon becomes full of acrid smoke, to everybody's discomfort, so new rules have been imposed at certain locations.
10 SECONDS BURNOUTS MAXIMUM, it says in some places, or BURNOUTS ONLY ALLOWED IN THE PADDOCK at others.
But F1s cannot do burnouts on the grid, can they ?

Expecting F1 drivers to take it easy for one lap or more to warm their tyres is completely unrealistic and will lead to accidents.
The FIA is completely missing the point with that issue.

 

A tire guy for Pirelli was on the broadcast (I don't recall which race) and he openly said he did not agree with the idea to ban tire blankets. He said they could see a very large reduction in energy usage by simply reducing the the time the tires are in the blankets. He may have even mentioned the added dangers of F1 cars going out on stone cold tires. Unfortunately the FIA and F1 want to keep the narrative they care about the environment.

 

There probably are different methods of powering the ovens, like solar or wind power, to please the ecologists.

Because they don't receive the last heat cycle, slick tyres have a cover of uncured rubber that provides next to no grip when it's cold.

The other alternative is to ban slicks altogether and go back to hard compound threaded tyres, but that will lower the performances.

The idea that drivers will do a couple of laps on tip-toes after each tyre change is ludicrous.

 

F1 cost cap loophole closed off by FIA
The FIA has closed off a potential loophole in Formula 1’s cost cap regulations to prevent teams from making use of staff outside of spending restrictions, Autosport has learned.

As part of what sources have suggested is a ramped-up effort by motor racing’s governing body to ensure compliance with the cost cap rules, it has now stepped in regarding the use of special project divisions outside of F1 teams that some suspected were being used to help find performance gains.

In recent years it has been common for F1 teams to employ senior technical staff to work in separate divisions on technical projects to exploit knowledge gained in grand prix racing and sell it to the wider business world.

As examples, Red Bull has its Advanced Technology division, McLaren has Applied Technologies, Mercedes has Applied Science and Aston Martin has Performance Technologies.

These have all been successful and worked on multiple projects involving road cars, America’s Cup yachts, bicycles and other designs.

But in the wake of suspicions that some were perhaps gaming the system and using these divisions to further F1 knowledge on the side outside of the cost cap, before passing that information back to their teams free of charge, the FIA has stepped in.

In a technical directive that was originally drafted earlier this year but has recently been revised and put in to force, the FIA has made clear to teams that they will not be allowed to transfer any Intellectual Property from projects running outside of their F1 operations back in to the squad without that work falling under the cost cap.

 

Well thats nice. But include better racing or just more 'super-bowls' eh Stefano??

https://f1i.com/news/478424-domenicali-says-next-gen-f1-engines-will-be-louder.html

Domenicali says next gen F1 engines will be louder

Formula 1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali has suggested that the sound of Grand Prix racing will be music to the ears of the sport's fans when it introduces its next generation power units in 2026.

 

It took them 2+ years to figure out what everyone saw immediately?

 

2014-2026 is 2+ years ???

 

They developed the cost cap in 2014? But technically 12 years is still over 2 years lol.

 

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/has-f1s-tyre-mandate-reached-the-end-of-the-line/10486829/

Has F1’s tyre mandate reached the end of the line?
By: GP Racing
Jun 24, 2023, 12:46 PM
Pirelli is bringing a new tyre construction to Silverstone, originally meant for 2024, but MATT KEW wonders if it really will spice up the racing

You’d forgive Lewis Hamilton for wincing 
any time he hears the words ‘Pirelli’ and ‘Silverstone’ uttered in the same breath. His attempt to convert pole into a home victory
 during his maiden Mercedes campaign in 2013 was scuppered by his left-rear tyre exploding. Seven years later he crossed the line to land his seventh British Grand Prix triumph, albeit with the front-left rubber in tatters. 

But he shouldn’t face another similarly sticky situation this month. Pirelli will use the trip to Northamptonshire to introduce a new construction which has most recently been tested in Barcelona. Concerned by increasing downforce levels and cornering loads, the tyre maker has fast-tracked a specification originally intended for 2024. The bumf says compounds and profiles will stay the same, but the material will be even more resistant to fatigue. 

Pirelli motorsport director Mario Isola tells GP Racing: “We wanted to give teams a construction which was transparent. If you compare it with the current one, it is just more resistant because of the material we want to introduce into the construction. We collected feedback from the teams [after testing of the prototype] and most of them said it was ‘no change’ or ‘no difference’.”

By virtue of the tyres being more robust, Hamilton and his peers are less likely to pay tribute to The New Christy Minstrels by finishing with only three wheels on their wagons. However, that also means there’s little to suggest the British GP will buck the trend of 2023 and its largely tepid racing.

Too much of this season has been dictated by drivers backing off from the car ahead to bring down tyre temperatures. That’s different to Pirelli’s original brief. When it entered Formula 1 in 2011, there was the hope of developing a tyre that would deteriorate markedly to pave the way for diverging strategies and thrilling contests, like that of the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix.

The first round of rubber did indeed have all the resilience of a chocolate teapot. Now, though, it’s thermal management rather than true degradation that has become the limiting factor.

That’s why after the cut and thrust of the first few laps, drivers very soon separate by two-second intervals as they ease off and find cooler air. This prevents overtaking, whether it’s a cheap DRS manoeuvre or a prolonged wheel-to-wheel dice.

Arguably, even worse, it hurts any potential for an overtake. Drivers don’t necessarily have to be trading places ad nauseam but too often now, they’re not
 even in the same camera frame. 

Esteban Ocon demonstrated another problem with the current rubber in Azerbaijan. He started on a set of hards and nursed them to the final lap before making his mandatory stop to avoid disqualification. The only drama for Ocon was having to steer around a gaggle of photographers who were released early into a still-live pitlane. 

Drivers don’t necessarily have to be trading places ad nauseam but too often now, they’re not
 even in the same camera frame
It seems the cycle is nearing completion. For it was this kind of tedious durability from the old Bridgestones that detracted from the spectacle sufficiently to prompt F1 to ask Pirelli to deliberately design in some fallibility. The irony is that this time, it’s Bridgestone that has just made a bid to the FIA to challenge its Italian rival in the 2025 tyre-tender process. 

Worth six times as much as Pirelli (£24billion plays £4bn), Bridgestone could truly dedicate the resource required to fulfil the inevitable ‘Goldilocks’ design brief: tyres that are resistant enough to allow drivers to push, aren’t so sensitive to temperature to dash all hopes of overtaking, yet still degrade to keep the strategists on their toes.

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Could Bridgestone re-enter the fold and deliver more racing like the Canada 2010 prototype brief for Pirelli?

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images