2013 Formula 1 regulation change
We have been covering this story right from the beginning when the talk about making the sport of Formula 1 more eco-friendly began. Earlier, the FIA introduced budget caps on teams and few other measures to cut down costs as Formula 1 was becoming a very expensive sport which could’ve scared-off smaller teams with lower budgets. F
or 2013 the FIA called for drastic changes to regulations including switching over to smaller capacity engines which will be more fuel efficient.
The news of the engine regulations did not go well with most of the top teams including Ferrari. The new regulations call for a 1.6 litre, 4 cylinder engine boosted by a turbocharger. Now, the developments in Formula 1 used to trickle down into road cars, up till now. But recently, this has not been the case apart from a few innovations that have actually made into the cars of today. Ferrari’s opposition to the new rules does not come as a surprise as there is not a single Ferrari road car that uses a 4 cylinder engine.
Most of their cars have either eight or twelve cylinder engines. Ferrari had even threatened to leave the sport if the new regulations were passed. Now that the FIA has approved the 2013 regulations it will interesting to see how teams like Ferrari and Mclaren react to this. According to the governing body, a vote for when to implement the new regulations is still impending and that could be held at the end of the month. As far as the new approved regulations are concerned the 1.6 litre 4 cylinder turbocharged engine will be limited to 12000 rpm and the boost pressure to 500 bar.
Kinectic Energy Regeneration System or KERS will be retained for the 2013 season. The committee has approved certain aerodynamic modifications that are supposed to improve aerodynamic efficiency of the race cars. The height of the front nose of the car has also been finalized keeping in mind the safety of the drivers in a T-bone type accident. More austerity measures have also been introduced as an attempt to keep costs down. This includes limiting the number of gear ratios and transmissions over the period of a championship season. The weight of the car will now be limited to 660 kg and teams will not be allowed to run cars lighter than 660 kg.
The current Formula 1 teams will now vote to decide the time of implementation of the new regulations by the end of the month. Until then, we might hear a few reactions from the top teams. Ferrari especially being one of the most influential teams on the grid might still try to persuade the FIA. Meanwhile, although Scuderia Ferrari had threatened to quit Formula 1 in the past, we think it is highly unlikely that Ferrari would leave F1 in the wake of the new regulations.
Ferrari has been in Formula 1 since day one and race one, right when the sport was first conceived. Such an erratic move by Ferrari would be very disappointing for millions of its fans around the globe. Somebody once said, “Ferrari is Formula 1″, and I tend to agree as the red team has provided spectacular racing in the past and has created legends in the process.
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