F1 Spices Up 2007 Season with Rule Changes

MOTORSPORTS UPDATEF1 Spices Up 2007 Season
with Rule Changes INDIANAPOLIS - A new set of rules - along with new driver pairings and a fresh crop of rookie drivers - are among the changes that the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) says will create a different look and add excitement to the 2007 racing season. This year, the FIA Formula One (F1) World Championship season includes the U.S. Grand Prix, which will be held on June 17 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Fernando Alonso (with the Renault R26) at the 2006 Canadian Grand Prix.
(Photo: TMWolf)

FIA has also added "Fan Friendly Fridays" to its race weekend offerings. Fans attending the Friday F1 practice sessions on Grand Prix weekends will see the two one-hour open practice sessions replaced by two 90-minute sessions.

Unlike the past two years, the rule that states that a driver must use the same engine for two complete Grand Prix weekends will not apply to Friday practices. In addition, the number of dry-weather tires allotted to a driver during an event has been increased from 28 to 40. Teams may also run two drivers in each of the Friday practice sessions. These drivers can be either the nominated race drivers or a reserve/test driver. These changes are designed to give drivers more action on the track on Fridays.

Tire change Following the withdrawal of Michelin, Bridgestone will supply all the teams with tires through the 2010 race season. The tire compounds will be harder in 2007, says FIA, and this should result in the cars initially being about two seconds per lap slower than last year. This change is designed to improve safety on the track. Each team will be supplied with identical specifications and quantities of tires during the racing season. On a Grand Prix weekend, drivers will have a choice of hard and soft compound dry-weather tires, as well as wet-weather tires and extreme wet-weather tires.Engines rule FIA froze the engine specifications used by the teams in December 2006 for 2007. Only a limited amount of modifications and updates are permitted, and the engines will be limited to a maximum of 19,000 rpm. Three teams have switched engine partners for 2007: Williams from Cosworth to Toyota, Red Bull Racing from Ferrari to Renault, and Scuderia Toro Rosso from Cosworth to Ferrari. Each car will be fitted with a cockpit global positioning system (GPS) that use a series of colored lights to warn drivers of track conditions, such as a yellow light to indicate danger ahead. This also will allow race officials to know exactly where each car is on the track at all times. In addition, the cars will be fitted with a new accident-severity indicator to indicate the impact forces of an accident to medical rescue crews. The teams have unanimously agreed to adapt the 2008 testing restrictions in 2007. This limits each team to an annual limit of 30,000 km (18,640 miles). In the past, the big teams each have tested about 50,000 km (31,685 miles) per year.(Source: Indianapolis Motor Speedway)