Teams aim to revamp F1 with return of refuelling
Formula One leading figures and the Strategy Group teams have agreed a on a raft of regulation changes to revamp the sport, attempting to bring back some of the speed lost in recent overhauls.
A statement released by the FIA unveils the direction of thinking.
"In light of the various scenarios presented by the independent consulting company mandated by the F1 Strategy Group, at the initiative of the FIA, to work on the reduction of costs and following a constructive exchange, a comprehensive proposal to ensure the sustainability of the sport has emerged.
"The Strategy Group member teams have committed to refine it in the next few weeks, in consultation with the other teams involved in the championship.
First of all, despite earlier suggestions and lobbying, it was agreed to maintain the regulations regarding the power unit, introduced only two years ago to increase road relevance and introduce newer technologies.
"On the engine side, it has been decided that stability of the rules should prevail in consideration of the investments of the manufacturers involved in the sport and to give visibility to potential new entrants."
Furthermore, while Renault and Honda were involved in a push to allow a fifth engine without incurring a penalty.
"The allowance for a fifth engine to be used during the 2015 season has been rejected."
"This constructive meeting between the FIA, FOM and the teams has allowed paving the way for the future of the championship.
"All parties agreed to work together with an intention to firm up these proposals and submit them to the approval of the F1 Commission and the World Motor Sport Council of the FIA as soon as possible for implementation."
The proposed regulation changes include increasing car widths to 2000mm and reducing the weight by 30 to 50kg, even though that does not mean allowing higher cost, lightweight materials. Part of the weight reduction should come from a return to 6-speed gearboxes, dropping the 8-speed boxes that were made mandatory at the beginning of the 2014 season.
Dropping a gear should force the engines to run at higher revolutions, at the same time bringing more noise to counter negative feelings on the 1.6L V6 engines.
On the tyre front, teams will be given free choice from the 4 compounds available throughout the season, limited on safety reasons to avoid the use of the super soft on high speed circuits such as Monza in Italy.
Finally, the reintroduction of refuelling is set to happen in 2017, albeit that the aim is to keep pitstops short, and certainly not as long as they used to be in the last era of F1 with refuelling allowed.
