FIA wants to ban qualifying modes in 2021

[dans79]

https://www.racefans.net/2020/08/12/fia ... s-in-2021/

In the letter, confirmed by several sources, the FIA described its intention to clarify the use of modes for the 2021 F1 season by stipulating that the performance settings used by teams in qualifying must be the same as those used in the race. The requirement could be enforced using the existing parc ferme regulations which restrict set-up changes between the two sessions.

I get the distinct feeling the teams are going to tell the FIA to get lost, because if memory serves a change for next year's rules this late in the season requires a unanimous buy in by the teams.

[63l8qrrfy6]

They'll just mash the overtake button during the qualy lap and claim the base engine map is the same as for the race.
Or maybe they want to ban overtake buttons too ?

[dans79]

Imo, the FIA is becoming far to overbearing. They seem hell bent of banning anything that allows a team or engine manufacture to differentiate themselves from the others. If they really wanted to save all the teams money, and make the racing super close, they should scap everything and just make it a spec series.

[Sieper]

It will be hard to check and keep IN check indeed but I think it in the basis good. Mercedes has enjoyed an enormous qualy advantage since 2014. Now it is mercs 1 sec loose, all rest, very close. If everyone is very close the qualy and racing will become much closer. FIA has always done this in periods of dominance.

Might not even be that hurtfull to merc, in fact, might even make them more dominant as they can stop using up some of its engine life (knock problems, high wear) From the qualy mode and spread that out during the whole race.

[rogazilla]

If the team uses the mode for 10 second in the race... does that count as one of the race mode?

[dans79]

Might not even be that hurtfull to merc, in fact, might even make them more dominant as they can stop using up some of its engine life (knock problems, high wear) From the qualy mode and spread that out during the whole race.

IMO, its a good chance this is what will happen. Thus in the end all the engine manufactures will have done, is spent a lot of money to develop new mappings, and make the FIA feel good about itself.

[Just_a_fan]

Sounds like an attempt to pull Mercedes back in to the clutches of the rest. As we've seen this year, Mercedes's engine mode for qualifying is markedly better than the rest.

Good way to try to peg the team to the benefit of those with a less effective engine department.

Would the change also mean no more than one map for the entire weekend? I mean, they'll be forced to use a single mode in qualifying and through the race. No "Engine mode 3 please" from the engineers on the radio then.

[Sieper]

Might not even be that hurtfull to merc, in fact, might even make them more dominant as they can stop using up some of its engine life (knock problems, high wear) From the qualy mode and spread that out during the whole race.

IMO, its a good chance this is what will happen. Thus in the end all the engine manufactures will have done, is spent a lot of money to develop new mappings, and make the FIA feel good about itself.

The race for engine development would still be on. And it would make qualy closer so more tense and more occasional shake ups. The difference would still be there, just not that extreme.

Merc will not always have a full second in hand, like last weekend, but that is also a bit weird. Both Bottas and Hamilton could make a major mistake costing them 0,6 of a second and they would still be easily P1 and P2 as it stands now.

[63l8qrrfy6]

I really don't think it will make much of a difference.

With already limited dyno time engineers will instead focus on running a more aggressive race mapping for longer.
I think that Merc's qualy mode is more of an indication that they have a better grasp on how hard they can push the engine. I believe the other manufacturers could probably match them in peak power but simply don't have the confidence to run in such conditions for any meaningful amount of time.

[El Scorchio]

Wouldn't the current quali mode just become the top (and rarely used) standard race engine setting then? And they just race constantly 'detuned' a little bit? So therefore zero change to now?

Or is that too simplistic?

[toraabe]

Just impossible. They have to harvest and deploy according to their needs. And the right strat mode is just a part of driving those hybrid racecars

[63l8qrrfy6]

Good point, I wonder if the proposal is then to force all laps to be neutral SOC then ?

[Xwang]

IMHO FIA should put a power sensor at the PU exit like in the Hypercar Regulations and put a maximum power limit (let's say no more than 900HP*) so that in any case we would have high efficiency engines (about 45% if all the fuel flow is used), but in an affordable way without the need to play in the grey area with solutions that have no scope for the automotive (like burning oil). Moreover, like in Hypercar they could use the power sensor to check that the power output is in line with the power request (so that to be sure that programs that behaves like a traction control system are not in use even in sporadic times ).

* the rules could also state that this limit is increased of 20Hp each year so that to keep pushing towards higher efficiency but in an affordable and controlled way.

[63l8qrrfy6]

What's the point of being an engine manufacturer then ?

[Jolle]

although some people think F1 is about who is the best driver, F1 is who builds and runs the best car, engine included.