New rules for new season

The Formula One World Championship is subject to some major rule changes for the 2006 season, the implications of which will only become fully apparent when the action gets underway in Bahrain next week.

On the technical side, this year sees the biggest change to engine specifications since fire-breathing turbos were finally outlawed at the end of 1988. From 1989 onward, F1 was only open to 3.5-litre, normally-aspirated engines, a figure that dropped to 3.0 litres in 1995. Over the past decade, the 3.0-litre, V10 configuration has been continuously honed, with the resulting power figures pushed higher and higher. Even the introduction of extended mileage regulations in 2005 – stipulating that motors must last two complete Grand Prix weekends – did little to slow progress.

For 2006, the engine guys have had to start afresh. Now, their only option is a 2.4-litre V8, with - for the first time - a compulsory V-angle of 90 degrees. The reduced displacement represents a loss of around 150bhp, but the change has other, equally profound effects: less power means less energy is going into the tyres, which puts a premium on smooth driving. It also impacts aerodynamics, as teams will look for ways to run minimum drag levels in their attempts to gain top speed.

As far as sporting regulations are concerned, the biggest novelty for 2006 is the new qualifying format. The old one-lap format – first introduced in 2003 to ensure consistent action on the track, while at the same time introducing a parc ferme element to the equation that was intended to stop teams from building ‘qualifying specials’ – has been dropped after three years.

The previous system had some advantages, but the format was never fully satisfactory and needed to be modified several times. The biggest drawback of last year’s final version was that a driver who had problems in Race A would earn an earlier (and less favourable) qualifying slot in Race B. The weather also played too large a role in determining the grid.

That’s all been discarded to make way for a brand-new knockout system. As was the case prior to 2003, all the cars will be out on the track at the same time. Also gone is the single, one-hour session; now, two 15-minute sessions, with minimum fuel levels, will serve to eliminate the slowest 12 cars.

The fastest 10 at the end of the second session then go straight into a final 20-minute session to fill the top half of the grid. The lap times set previously will be cancelled, and those top 10 drivers must start that final session with what will effectively be their fuel load for the start of the race. The more laps they drive, the lighter they get, and the faster they will be on their final runs. Using the number of laps run as part of a standardized formula to determine consumption, the FIA will then ensure that the cars are ballasted back up to the correct fuel level for the start.

MF1’s first goal will be to get both cars through the first round and into the top 16, something that should be a realistic target.

“It’ll be interesting,” says Sporting Director Adrian Burgess. “The new system will throw up a few scenarios now and again where people don’t get it together within that small window of opportunity. Regs like that throw the ball up in the air a little bit, and we’re confident that we can punch above our weight every now and again. It’s not going to be easy – we know that – but it’s a challenge we accept.

“We can respond and react as well as the rest of them, and I’d like to think there will be times when we can do it on pace rather than luck. We’ve got a target. We don’t always want to be among the first six knocked out, so we’ve got something to aim for.”

The track should be very busy for the full hour, and there’s plenty of scope for the unexpected to occur. Intriguingly, while a driver who starts 10th is stuck with his qualifying load, those from 11th on back are free to put as much in the tank as they want for the race, which could provide a huge advantage that might make for some interesting choices.

“The weather could change, and those teams outside the top 10 will have a little bit more of a chance to employ a different strategy. It’s difficult to say at this stage how the whole thing is going to unravel,” says Burgess.

Perhaps the most controversial change to the 2006 rules is the return of tyre changes after only one season that saw drivers having to use a single set for both qualifying and the whole race. Once again, making use of new tyres has become a major part of pit strategy, along with fuel weight. It’s also worth noting that teams now make their final choice between the two tyre options on Saturday at noon rather than at the start of the day, so Saturday morning practices should become even busier sessions of tyre comparison.

While the balance of power in the tyre war could shift during the year, most observers think this rule change favours Bridgestone. If it does, that is good news for MF1 and fans of the sport.

“It’s good for the spectacle,” agrees Burgess. “We’ve done a lot of pit stop practice over the winter. For the engineers, it will open up a few options that we didn’t have last year. Now that Bridgestone have got Toyota and Williams on board as well, they can develop at a faster rate, and that will help us.”