Further rules changes confirmed for 2014

2014 F1 season

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The FIA has confirmed details of the rules changes for 2014 including plans for double points at the final round of the season.

The revised 2014 Sporting Regulations were published today with details of the changes to the points system for next year:

Points for both titles will be awarded at each event, with the exception of the final event of the championship, according to the following scale:

1st: 25 points
2nd: 18 points
3rd: 15 points
4th: 12 points
5th: 10 points
6th: 8 points
7th: 6 points
8th: 4 points
9th: 2 points
10th: 1 point

At the final event of the championship points for both titles will be doubled.

The plan has received strong criticism from fans with 91% in an F1 Fanatic poll indicating they do not want double points to be awarded at the final race.

New driver numbers

From next year drivers will be able to choose their own numbers instead of being assigned them. The revised rules explain how the process will work and also stipulate the number must appear on their crash helmet:

Each car will carry the race number of its driver as published by the FIA at the beginning of the season or the race number that has been allocated to his replacement under Article 19.1(b)(iii). This number must be clearly visible from the front of the car and on the driver’s crash helmet.

Prior to the start of the 2014 world championship season race numbers will be permanently allocated to drivers by ballot, such numbers must then be used by that driver during every Formula One world championship event he takes part in throughout his career.

Any new drivers, either at the start of or during a season, will also be allocated a permanent number in the same way.

The only exception to this allocation process will be for the reigning world champion who will have the option to use the number one. The number that was previously allocated to him will be reserved for him in subsequent seasons if he does not retain the title of world champion.

This has forced a change to another part of the regulations as drivers could previously be assigned their qualifying position based on their car number if they failed to set a time. That rule now states they will now start the race “in the order they were classified in the previous period of qualifying or, in the case of Q1, the order they were classified in P3″.

Pole position trophy

A new trophy will be awarded to the driver who starts the most races from pole position:

A trophy will be awarded to the driver who sets the most pole positions during the championship season (see Article 36.2). In the event of a tie the holder of the greatest number of second places will be taken into account and, if there is still the tie, the holder of the greatest number of third places and so on until a winner emerges.

If this procedure fails to produce a result, the FIA will nominate the winner according to such criteria as it thinks fit.

Sebastian Vettel would have won the trophy in four of the last five seasons, with Lewis Hamilton claiming it in 2012:

Penalty points

Next year drivers who break the rules will be given penalty points on their licence for and will be banned for one race if they reach 12 points in 12 months:

In accordance with Article 16.3, the stewards may impose penalty points on a driver’s Super Licence. If a driver accrues 12 penalty points his licence will be suspended for the following event, following which 12 points will be removed from the licence.

Penalty points will remain on a driver’s Super Licence for a period of 12 months after which they will be respectively removed on the 12 month anniversary of their imposition.

Drivers who fail to stop at the weigh bridge will now receive reprimand “provided the car is then brought back to the FIA garage without delay and that the FIA technical delegate is satisfied the car has been brought back in exactly the same condition it was in when it was driven into the pits”.

However if the car is not brought to the FIA garage or is worked on before being returned, the driver will have to start the race from the pit lane.

Following several instances of cars being released from their pit boxes in an unsafe, fashion, the FIA has revised the penalties for ‘unsafe releases’. Drivers who break the rule during practice will be given a grid drop for the race, and drivers who break the rule during the race will receive a grid drop for the following round.

The FIA also tightened up a rule forbidding the use of powered devices to raise cars during pit stops.

In a minor change, drivers will only be given post-race time penalties if they commit an infraction within the last three laps of the race, rather than five laps. Doing so earlier in the race will continue to earn them a drive-through or stop-go penalty.

Fewer engines and gearboxes

Drivers will have to use the same gearbox for six consecutive races next year, an increase from this year’s five. A temporary dispensation will be granted next year for teams that change the gears and dog rings within a gearbox

For 2014 only, on five occasions per driver, a competitor need not provide evidence of physical damage in order to carry out these changes. Furthermore, the use of parts of identical specification will not be necessary when the changes are being made in accordance with Article 9.6.2 of the F1 Technical Regulations.

The number of (non-consecutive) races each engine must last for has also risen, from four to five, but the rules here have become more complex owing to the new engine regulations coming into force next year.

Drivers will be able to swap individual elements of their power units from race to race as explained in the regulations, but will incur penalties as follows for doing so:

28.4 a) Unless he drives for more than one team (see 28.4(d) below), each driver may use no more than five power units during a championship season.

b) For the purposes of this Article 28.4 the power unit will be deemed to comprise six separate elements, the engine (ICE), the motor generator unit-kinetic (MGU-K), the motor generator unit-heat (MGU-H), the energy store (ES), turbocharger (TC) and control electronics (CE). Each driver will therefore be permitted to use five of each of the above six components during a championship season and any combination of them may be fitted to a car at any one time.

c) Should a driver use more than five of any one of the elements a grid place penalty will be imposed upon him at the first Event during which each additional element is used. Penalties will be applied according to the following table and will be cumulative:

Replacement of a complete power unitThe driver concerned must start the race from the pit lane.
The first time a 6th of any of the elements is used.Ten grid place penalty
The first time a 6th of any of the remaining elements is used.Five grid place penalty
The first time a 7th of any of the elements is used.Ten grid place penalty
The first time a 7th of any of the remaining elements is used, and so on.Five grid place penalty

A power unit or any of the six components will be deemed to have been used once the car’s timing transponder has shown that it has left the pit lane.

If a grid place penalty is imposed, and the driver’s grid position is such that the full penalty cannot be applied, the remainder of the penalty will be applied at the driver’s next Event. However, no such remaining penalties will be carried forward for more than one event.

The rule limiting how much fuel each car may use has also been added to article 29.5 of the regulations:

No car is permitted to consume more than 100kg of fuel, from the time at which the signal to start the race is given to the time each car crosses the Line after the end-of-race signal has been given. Other than in cases of force majeure (accepted as such by the stewards of the meeting), any driver exceeding this limit will be excluded from the race results.

2014 F1 season

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Image © McLaren/Hoch Zwei, Lotus/LAT

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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101 comments on “Further rules changes confirmed for 2014”

  1. So much changes.

    “in the order they were classified in the previous period of qualifying or, in the case of Q1, the order they were classified in P3″.

    Good for that ! I never understood why they had to follow the numbers on the cars if a session was cancelled…

    1. As the numbers were given more or less according to how fast the cars were in the previous season there was some sense in it. But with randomly allocated numbers that really doesn’t make any sense at all, so this is better.

  2. Following several instances of cars being released from their pit boxes in an unsafe, fashion, the FIA has revised the penalties for ‘unsafe releases’. Drivers who break the rule during practice will be given a grid drop for the race, and drivers who break the rule during the race will receive a grid drop for the following round.

    Wht drivers must get penalty, when teams are mainly responsible for unsafe releases? Driver is not in a best position to see, whether another car is coming and collision is going to happen.

    1. I agree, that is unnecessarily harsh. Why penalise somebody for the following round when you can do it for the next one anyway? What happens in the last race? Do teams just get away with it or will it carry over to the next season? Any unsafe release could give that driver an advantage over their competition, so basically this change means they are allowed to keep that advantage and other drivers just have to suck it up.

    2. If I were a driver, I would be asking for some sort of CCTV in the pit box so I could see what was coming down the pit lane. The guy pushing the button for the green light isn’t going to be the one getting the stop-go penalty or the grid penalty and the points on his license after all.

    3. Well, when you ‘re penalizing the driver, you ‘re also penalizing his team….
      Besides, the current monetary penalties are small change for any team and no enough to deter them from risking an unsafe release to gain a place!

    4. It’s a team sport, that’s why.

    5. But it still is a team sport. I

      1. But why is that a reason to pass penalties onto the next round rather than give drive throughs for the same race?

  3. Seriously, you would expect other races (particularly somewhere like Monaco where they probably have more strength to make their own terms) to have a term in their contract that their race is of equal championship value to any other. I’m still praying that Monaco will cancel the race due to breach of contract so that the FIA rethink.

  4. Wait, so drivers won’t be able to choose what number they want, based on whatever beliefs, lucky charms etc?
    Just imagine how Schumi would feel if he got number 4!

    1. petebaldwin (@)
      12th December 2013, 16:10

      They get to pick them but if 2 want the same number, whoever finished higher in this season’s championship gets their choice.

      Where it gets confusing is (from the story about More drivers in FP1) test drivers have their own specific numbers also.

      We’ve got 22 cars on track all with a test driver or two. That means we’re cose to 40 numbers already gone. What happens when a driver doesn’t get a seat but then returns (ie Kimi or Sutil)? Apparently they keep their numbers for their remaining F1 career so how long are these numbers held? I can’t imagine it’ll be that long before 1-99 are taken if all test drivers are going to get a unique number…

      1. Exactly what I thought.

      2. @petebaldwin

        I think we will need another digit…

        “Maldonado, the number 121 from Venezuela”…

    2. Yeah, what’s the point of driver-specific numbers if they get no say?

      1. In a few years time, and some drivers have retired etc, do they retain their numbers? Case: Schumacher coming back from retirement. Does he get his old number back or does he have to pick a new one?

    3. @bascb I really hoped I interpreted it wrong, but you have read it just like me… and all the drivers were already planning on what number to choose! If true this is a farce, unless the ballot is only in case of two drivers wanting the same number. And I don’t like the constriciton of the number on the helmet, it takes room away from the designs (already covered by sponsors) and is virtually useless as unless you get the right angolation it’s hard to read. On the sides, also, the cockpit covers part of the helmet.

      1. I think we may have read it wrong. But ballot suggests that they put a number forward, maybe with a 2nd and 3rd choice. They get picked out at random, or by 2013 driver ranking, and any conflicts means one of the drivers uses their 2nd number.

        I also dislike the helmet thing, which I only just noticed. The best thing about helmets is the unique identity drivers can create. Numbers are less iconic and may well ruin nice helmet designs.

      2. @fixy
        They will put the numbers on their helmets just like Moto GP riders do, Rossi’s #46 helmets are a top sale and that must be the root of F1 decision to implement this numbers policy. I’d rather stick with tradition but who knows it will work…

    4. @bascb

      drivers won’t be able to choose what number they want

      Yes they will, the selection process is described here.

      1. That is a great relieve @Keithcollantine if that remains true. I read

        race numbers will be permanently allocated to drivers by ballot

        as the FIA randomly (by ballot) allocating them to the drivers at the start of the season.
        Are you sure they didn’t change the wording of it from the first time this was mentioned, because I can’t find any reference to this system in the final description of the rules from the FIA?

        1. @bascb – I believe the ballot was to be for the order drivers picked their numbers, not the actual numbers they pick. They would submit their three numbers, then their names would be drawn out of a hat, and if their preferred number was free, they would get it.

          1. I think you are wrong there. Autosport contacted the FIA and got information that contrary to what the rules say, there will not be a ballot, but the FIA will (already has) contact all drivers and get their 3 picks, then allocate them in the order of their finishing position in the last campaign, possibly a ballot will be used for the rookies.

        2. @bascb ‘Ballot’ has multiple meanings, one of which is ‘a process of voting’ which would fit with the description of the number selection process the FIA originally gave. The random drawing of lots is another definition but as that would contradict what the FIA originally published I didn’t think that was the definition they meant.

          1. Thanks for that Keith!

      1. I’m cool cucumbers over the number thing, could be fun.

        But having the numbers mandatory on the crash helmets gets a thumbs down from me.

        That means Sebastian might just have even the slightest consistent similar themed helmet.

        1. I dislike the whole gimmickry of it, but in particular the numbered helmets, If the numbers are to be a clear identifyer, all helmet tops will consist of a base colour with a contrasting number and still the number will only be visible from above, the alternative of numbers on the side of the helmet will be barely visible in the cockpit and not at all from above.

  5. Double points: I dislike intensely.
    Permanent driver numbers: I currently dislike but I’ll warm to it.
    Pole position trophy: I like.
    Penalty points: I like.

    1. petebaldwin (@)
      12th December 2013, 16:12

      What is it you dislike about permanent number? I’ve seen quite a few are opposed to it but I can’t figure out why… I can understand that some think it won’t make a difference but on that basis, I can’t see how you’d be opposed to it – just indifferent.

      1. I suppose that’s my stance. I like the current system, but I’m not opposed to any change. It doesn’t add or detract from the racing (well, maybe it’ll “add” some kind of historic value over time), so I’m fine with that.

        Same idea with the Pole Position trophy; wouldn’t really matter whether they had it or not, unless it came with some more championship points.

        The double-points idea is still ridiculous. I’ll only agree to this if the double-points race is something truly spectacular (i.e. F1 endurance race, maybe 4-6 hour race at Le Mans or some other high top speed track). If racers are working twice as hard in one race (i.e. race distance is 600km minimum instead of the current 300km) then I can see the argument for double points. As it stands now, it just sets a bad precedent for other races to get their own unique points’ scale. Why not give more points in Monaco because overtaking is so difficult? Why not give less points to the winner in Monaco because it’s damned near impossible for anyone to overtake him anyway?

  6. Who will pick (red) 5?

    1. I suspect Vettel will actually. He carried 5 to his first title win and I’ve seen lots of pictures of him racing karts with that number (assuming he chose it back then).

      1. Vettel iis in one way in the worst position as he have to take number 1 next year, and then in 2015 all the good numbers might already be taken. Or maybe its possible for him to reserve a non-one number also

        1. it is not mandatory for him to have no 1 next year. he can choose 5 in 2014 if he wants.

          1. As I understand the wording of the regulation, Vettel gets first pick of a number between 2-99 either to use next year instead of 1 or reserved for such time when he is no longer World Champion.

    2. That’d be me!

  7. If this procedure fails to produce a result, the FIA will nominate the winner according to such criteria as it thinks fit.

    Probably whoever has the nicest eyes going by the recent decisions.

    1. Or who has the richest sponsor

      1. To be fair the “whoever the FIA decide” rule already exists for choosing a Drivers World Champion in the immensely unlikely event that two drivers have an identical race and qualifying record over a season.

      2. @Calum, +1 on the richest sponsor comment!

  8. Numbers? The cars and drivers have numbers?

    They certainly haven’t been visible for several years, and I don’t recall them being used in tv coverage for many years. Personally I think the better solution would be to drop the numbers completely and use the 3 letter driver abbreviation. No need for a numerical means of referencing the driver when their full name and abbreviation are already widely used.

    1. They are referenced in FIA documentation I believe. e.g. awarding car 1 a penalty. However I agree. The three letter codes are already allocated when the driver gets a super-licence, so why not use those.

      1. Sometimes they change. Michael Schumacher’s was SCH before his brother joined F1, when they were then referred to as MSC (even in 2010-2012) and RSC.

        1. Very rarely though!

    2. Too many three-letter codes in F1 anyway (see the rule about the power units…!)
      I hope these numbers appear in the TV captions, as they do for Indycar.

      1. @tomsk So car numbers will be discontinued?

  9. Would it not make more sense for driver numbers to be standardised on the car liveries?

    We already know that there are livery rules in place, such as the mandatory inclusion of FIA stickers, any logos viewable from T-Cam must be upside-down/sideways etc.

    A standardised style or numberbox would make each driver instantly more recognisable (I can imagine numbers on helmets getting lost in the details). Placing the numbers on the air intake (where Lotus used “Romain”, “Kimi” and “Heikki” text this year) would make more sense than on the helmet.

    1. Agreed. I think they should have a standardised white number box, as in every other FIA sanctioned races. And I still think that the current number system based on the last year’s standings is the best. It is like that in every other form of racing.

  10. last race double points – lunacy.

  11. I Still don’t like the Double points. It’s just wrong.
    Other than that I agree with almot all the other changes, especially the Pole Position Trophy.
    I just don’t like that there are less engines and gearboxes. It’s probable there are going to be a lot of reliability problems due to the new regulations so this stricter rule could be a title decider.

  12. Double penalty points in the last race?

    1. Does pole at that race count double for the new pole trophy?

      1. Good point :)

    2. And do the drivers get to double their personal number too?

    3. Are they double-paid?

    4. Just wait unltil someone pays more than Abu Dhabi and gets a Triple-Points GP…

      #GoPutin

  13. If this procedure fails to produce a result, the FIA will nominate the winner according to such criteria as it thinks fit.

    This shouldn’t be how the trophy is awarded. In keeping with the spirit of the award it should come down to aggregate qualifying times. That way, if two drivers have 8 poles, 8 seconds and 3 thirds (for example), but driver number 2 was always 0.3s off pole, whereas driver 1 was only 0.1s off pole, then driver 1 would (deservedly) win the trophy as he was the faster qualifier.

    1. I think they meant something like that that, so the FIA would nominate the driver who is more deserving.

  14. Does Vettel get to pick his career number AND gets number 1 for next year? Or does he just get 1?
    If he just gets 1, then when he eventually loses the championship, he will be last to choose his career number.
    That would be a shame, since they will let the drivers decide in the order they finished and he finished first.

    I hope Vettel chooses 5 for his career. (won his first title with the red number 5)
    I’d like to see Hamilton with 22. Also won his title with that number. And it’s just a cool number.
    Alonso 27 would be very cool. I don’t think Kimi cares about 27 and 28 being iconic numbers for Ferrari, so I could see him go with 6 or 9. (6, first title and 9, best year with McLaren and his favorite car)

    1. Vettel 1, Alonso 5 and Kimi 6/69 would be my picks! 22 or 2 would be good for Hamilton, possibly even the 3 he would have had next year. If only Webber could have had 2…… Rosberg as 4 would be good as well.

      1 and 5 are the winningest numbers ever, so current champ and deserving champ (and he would’ve had the number next year anyway) fit them quite well IMO. 2 and 6 are also up there as some of the winningest numbers, so are apt for Hamilton and Raikkonen. It’d be good for F1 marketing if the top 2 guys for the forseeable future have 1 and 2, perhaps swapped with 5 or 6 of Alonso or Raikkonen before they leave the sport.

      3 and 4 are up there, along with popular numbers like 7-12 that I’d like to see the frontrunners, or established guys like Massa, Button, Rosberg etc., have and these numbers would then mainly be re-available in the next 5 years.. It’s certainly going to be weird to see F1 cars with numbers over the mid-30s on them, although it was always possible in F1 manager games…. I can see a few karting numbers etc. coming back into the picture for some drivers. Bottas has a rumoured “BO77AS” hashtag as his best suggestion so far…

      If a driver has to pick a number for Friday running, he is stuck with it then even if a better/more preferred number comes along for when he is a race driver? That’s a bit harsh.. 2013 WDC order is now very critical for being able to choose your numbers! And swapping numbers on decals for a short 30 minute FP1 run-out might complicate getting juniors in the car, as front running teams already don’t want to do to avoid hassle and taking their eye off their prime drivers/chances to do well.

      If I was a driver now and couldn’t get 7, I would opt for 79 or 89. In iRacing you can pick a preferred number by car and the latter ones are my usual picks. Marquez has elaborated on this idea by using 93, and this could be a common choice as well. Are the 0x numbers allowed as in NASCAR? Things could get ugly! “01 for me please! I’ll take 07! Red 05!” (I imagine they are not allowed by the FIA as ‘unreal numbers’. I am always surprised that Williams were allowed to paint their number 5 Red and were not prescribed for it to be white…. On which note half way up the rear wing side panels would be a great place to stick the number, rather than a concealed helmet.

      1. Surely a white #8 on a black helmet will be desirable, but could also be suggested as most appropriate for Maldonado or last year maybe GRO.

        1. hahahaha very good one :)

    2. I was thinking Vettel should pick 5 as well.

    3. Didn’t the article say that the current world champ can chose his own number OR number 1?

      Or am I going mad?!

      1. Ha ha ! I don’t know, that’s why I’m asking.
        It think it would be fair if he choses his own number, then decides if he runs with number 1 or not.
        But yeah, it’s not clear.

    4. I hope Vettel chooses 5 for his career. (won his first title with the red number 5)

      ALSO:

      V = 5

  15. Michael Brown (@)
    12th December 2013, 17:42

    The car numbers should be a lot bigger and more visible for next year. It’s hard to tell, whether you’re a spectator in the stands or on TV, you just can’t see them.

  16. Amid all the changes, why couldn’t they include mandatory gravel traps on all circuits? That would add to the supposed chaos of the 2014. Ah, wishful thinking…..

    1. If anything they will say mandatory 100 metre car park escapes… :(

  17. I still can’t get over how stupid the double points finale is, unless of course they change it to a 600km race as has been suggested previously.

    Seriously, what is so bloody special about the last race in isolation? I’ll tell you: nothing. Absolutely nothing. So to award double points for it just to extend the championship battle is ludicrous beyond belief.

    I am seriously considering not watching the final race, and it takes a lot for me to say that: I’m not one to spew such words half-heartedly to follow a trend.

    1. Well I already won’t be watching it as it’s in Abu Dhabi. Gave it a 2/10 this year…

    2. I can only agree, but that goes for most on here, and most F1 fans in general I suspect. It is just getting rediculous, and getting more and more like an entertainment/quiz show, and now they double the prize on the finale to maximize tension!?! Come on!
      I can’t decide weather to be mad at Bernie for getting greedy in his old age, or be afraid that some slick corporate suits are pulling harder and harder on the puppet master strings from the back stage.

    3. @vettel1 I had not heard of the 600km idea and that would be less painful and arbitrary than the current rule. F1 periodically produces some pure crap, and surely this is one.

      1. @spoutnik I might even go as far to say that is a good idea the 600km one, however all race are equal, so some should not be more equal than others.

  18. This is F1. Drivers got names. The only number they care is 1. I don’t expect I will ever refer to Vettel, Alonso or Raikkonen with a number. But it could work well for the new drivers. Still years away. So mandatory driver number on the helmet annoys me a lot. If people couldn’t recognize drivers this year those people will not be able next year, too :)

  19. Aside from the double points nonsense (which I’m 95% sure they will scrap in the end) I’m quite happy with all the changes for next year.

    The driver numbers will be nice to those who are mainly fans of a certain driver(s) (like me) and those who don’t like it for some reason I’m sure can overlook it because it doesn’t make any practical difference.

    More testing means that the teams that haven’t been able to fully adjust to the development happening almost exclusively in wind tunnels and simulators might have a better chance to catch up during the season (Ferrari for example) which could very well mean more competition at the top. Drivers have more chance to practice and it’s possible that even test drivers might get some track time next year. And there’s more tyre testing for Pirelli so we shouldn’t have situations like in 2013 British Grand Prix anymore in 2014, and they can get better data and make better adjustments mid-season to prevent tyres to be too conservative or too degrading at different races.

    More chances for young drivers to drive the current cars in FP sessions which, if works, should have positive effect in racing in long term (rookies getting more experience beforehand) and cumulative penalty points system should encourage repeat offenders to cool down in fear of a race ban.

    I’m especially excited for the new technical regulations even if the cars might get a little slower and uglier but the turbo engines should sound different (any change is better, in my opinion, as I’ve grown tired of the high pitch engines that sound like wasps with ADHD) and cars should become more difficult to drive which can only be better as it lets the drivers’ skill to step more into light.

    It’s far from the best it could’ve been though. I would have much liked if separate quali tyres would have been introduced, DRS would have been banned or its effect reduced (which might happen anyways as the cars carry less downforce next year), and I would have been fine with the customer cars rule as it could’ve brought more teams (meaning more seats for beginning drivers). I think they should also consider modifying the points system a bit in the future, especially if the new regulations prove to cause more reliability issues as it might get a little too easy to score points (teams gaining in reliability has meant that even now when top ten score points, roughly 50% of classified drivers score points which has pretty much been the case in the past as well, and this might change now).

    1. Make costomer cars happen and voila – David Richards and Craig Pollock are building their teams for the 86th time :)

    2. Don’t be 95% sure. We’re talking about the FIA :'(

  20. I´m very confused with penalties around the new power unit. Can anyone tell me what would happen with grid penalties if a driver needs to change:

    * the motor generator unit-kinetic (MGU-K) and the motor generator unit-heat (MGU-H) using a 6th iteration of both?

    * the motor generator unit-kinetic (MGU-K) and the motor generator unit-heat (MGU-H) using a 6th iteration of both AND also a 7th iteration of the energy store (ES)?

    1. They come back to race in 2016!

      1. Seems legit.

    2. @f1ismydrug

      It says that the penalties are cumulative, so in your first example, that would be a 15-place grid drop, and in your second example 25-place grid drop. As stated in the regulations, those places you cannot drop, you will carry forward to the next race. So in your examples, depending on where you qualify, you might be better off replacing the whole unit and starting from the pit lane. At least that is my reading.

      I am quite fearful for the last races of the season. If the reliability of the power unit is as bad as some of the commentators expect it to be, we might see many grid drops and cars starting from the pit lane in the latter part of the season.

      1. That was what I feared, any team will probably replace the whole unit when there are failures in 2 or more components of the power unit. I foresee that the last third of the championship could be a joke, with more cars starting from the pit lane than from the grid.

        Don´t be surprised if well into the championship the FIA decides again to change the system

        Thank you for your answer.

  21. i presume they will still need to provide a fuel sample. it will be interesting how that will play out. teams will put 100kg of fuel and presumably use all of it. i think we can expect most if not all cars stoping after the race not making it back to the pits.

  22. Glad nobody can pick number 0, always reminds me of Damon Hill

  23. I like the number system the way it is. It is a great way to know the hierarchy of the teams. It is an honor to the Constructors to show how well they did in the past season. Now we will not know by looking.(at least casual fans won’t) I remember when Mclaren were excluded because of spygate. They had to run like 23 and 24 the next year. So now number other than 1 will mean squat. Yipee, more change for changes sake.

    1. +1. I hate it

    2. Sorry Pardner, “Yipee” has been retired, from now on it is ” Yee Haw”

      1. Sorry, I guess I’m showing my age. It is hard to keep up with all these young whippersnappers. :)

  24. It’s typical of the current state of F1 that in an attempt to introduce some personality into the sport the people in charge thought it was a good idea to create a new rule (personal numbers) when they should really be getting rid of a few instead. Stop fining people for celebrating their wins for example.

  25. Points or point, should also be awarded for pole position,everyone knows how important pole is and i`d rather see drivers rewarded with point(s) rather than a cheap tacky plastic trophy at the end of season awards !

  26. If Webber wasn’t retireing, I bet he would choose the number (multi) 21. Fingers crossed that Vettel doesn’t choose 12, as a final kick in the sack for Mark.

  27. So it is possible for a driver to miss the first race of the year due to penalty points from the previous year’s final race?

  28. Overall, this is a disappointingly superficial raft of comments given the disgust with the double points rule I’ve been reading about over the last few days. Who cares which drivers get which numbers? From the article, we learn that the double points rule is now published (and presumably immortalized for the year) even after >90% of a representative sample of F1 fans vehemently objected to it. The FIA has just given F1 fans its valuation of our feedback – it does not matter. I’ve now seen just one too many gimmicks, and am sort of embarrassed that I did not pull the plug on my F1 habit (starting in ‘78) much sooner. It stopped being anything resembling auto racing quite some time ago. I can’t even explain F1 to a non-fan with a straight face these days. I am old and lucky enough to have disposable income at this stage in my life and can attend F1 races – but I skipped this year because of the tires and will not spend another dime until there is actual racing again.

  29. How will the 100 kg rule be applied? Will we have mobile scales weighing the cars on the grid after the formation lap but before the start of the race? And then after the race they have to come to a halt at the finish line to be weighed before being allowed onto the victory lap?

  30. Where is the logic in giving the teams smaller number of engines to use in a season where engines are expected to be unreliable?

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