Français
Italiano
DeutschThe race
BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX
Sakhir
12th - 14th March 2010
Rules & Regulations
2009 season changes
A number of changes to both the Sporting and Technical Regulations have been made by the FIA for the 2009 Formula One season. In the case of the Sporting Regulations, the primary aims are increased reliability and further cost reductions. In the case of the technical changes, there are three main objectives - reducing the role of aerodynamics in the cars’ performance; making overtaking easier; and keeping lap times in check.
Tyres
After 10 seasons on grooved tyres, Formula One racing returns to slicks in 2009, as part of moves to increase the emphasis on mechanical rather than aerodynamic grip. With no grooves, grip will increase by around 20 percent, bringing a significant performance gain. However, that gain will be offset by the vastly reduced downforce levels of the revised aerodynamic regulations (see below). The overall effect should be reduced performance through high-speed corners.
Drivers will still have the choice of two dry tyre compounds and will still have to use both compounds during a race. As before, suppliers Bridgestone will select the two compounds for each race from their four-compound range - super-soft, soft, medium and hard. However, unlike in 2008, they will not select two consecutive compounds, so the difference between ‘harder’ and ‘softer’ at any given race will be far greater. A green band on the sidewall will distinguish the softer compound.
Standard wet-weather tyres will now officially be known as 'intermediates', and extreme wet-weather tyres will be referred to simply as 'wets'. The latter will feature a green central groove.
Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS)
From 2009 teams have the option of employing a KERS to boost their car’s performance. As its name implies, a KERS recovers the (normally wasted) kinetic energy generated by the car’s braking process. This energy is stored using a mechanical flywheel or an electrical battery and then made available to the driver, in set amounts per lap, via a ‘boost button’ on the steering wheel. Under the current regulations the power gain equates to around 80 horsepower, available for just under seven seconds per lap. This could be worth several tenths of a second in terms of lap time, but the weight and packaging of the system - and its impact on the car’s weight distribution - also have to be taken into account.
Engines
In a move designed to boost reliability still further, rev limits will be cut from 19,000 to 18,000 rpm. Drivers will be limited to eight engines per season, with each team allowed an additional four engines for testing. Once a driver has used up his eight-engine allocation, any engine change will incur a 10-place grid penalty (or a move to the back of the grid if made after qualifying) for the event at which the change is made. Just one team - Renault - has been allowed to make performance modifications to their engine for 2009 in order to help equalise power outputs.
Aerodynamics
Along with slick tyres, this is the biggest area of change for 2009. Downforce will be dramatically reduced and the cars’ bodywork will appear much cleaner, thanks to new dimensional regulations that effectively outlaw extraneous items such as barge boards, winglets, turning vanes and chimneys on most areas of the car.
As well as reducing overall aero performance, the revisions are also designed to increase overtaking by making the car less susceptible to turbulence when closely following another driver. The most obvious changes are to the front and rear wings.
The front wing becomes lower (75mm from 150mm) and wider (up from 1400 to 1800mm - the same width as the car) with driver-adjustable flaps. Drivers will be allowed to make two wing adjustments per lap, altering the wing angle over a six-degree range.
The rear wing becomes taller (up 150mm to bring it level with the top of the engine cover) and narrower (750mm from 1000mm).
Also at the back of the car, the diffuser has been moved rearwards, its leading edge now level with (rather than ahead of) the rear-wheel axle line. In addition, the diffuser has been made longer and higher, all changes that will reduce its ability to generate downforce.
Testing
From 2009 onwards testing is not allowed during the race season (from the week prior to the first Grand Prix until December 31) and is limited to 15,000 kilometres.
Safety car
The pit lane will now remain open throughout any safety-car period, allowing drivers to refuel without penalty. However, to ensure that drivers are not tempted to speed back to the pit lane, a new software system which employs GPS and the cars’ standard ECU has been introduced. When the safety car is deployed, each driver is given a minimum ‘back to pit’ time based on his position on track. If he arrives in the pit lane before that time he will be penalised.
Pre-race weights
After qualifying, the FIA will publish the weight at which all cars are expected to start the race, giving spectators an accurate gauge of what fuel load each driver is carrying.
Car livery
Teams must run their two cars with essentially the same race livery throughout the season and must seek prior approval for any major changes.
In addition there are a number of requirements that apply to liveries for all cars and teams. Every car must carry its driver’s race number, which must be clearly visible from the front of the car, and the driver’s name must appear on the external bodywork of the car. The team’s name or emblem must also appear on the nose of the car.
To help distinguish between a team’s two cars, the onboard cameras which sit on top of the main rollover structure are coloured differently. On the first car it must be predominantly fluorescent red and on the second car it must be fluorescent yellow.
Classification
A commonly asked question is how drivers can be given a placing in the official race results even though they retired before the end of the race. The explanation can be found within the FIA regulations regarding classification.
These state that any driver who completed at least 90 per cent of the race distance will be classified, whether or not he was running when the winner took the chequered flag.
If a race is stopped before the full distance and a result is declared, the classification will reflect the race order at the end of the lap two laps prior to that on which the race was stopped (see ‘Suspending and resuming a race’). For example, if a race is stopped on lap 60, the classification will be as it was at the end of lap 58.
Driver changes and additional drivers
Teams may use up to four drivers during a season, all of whom may score points in the championship. A driver change may be made with the permission of the stewards any time before the start of qualifying. The new driver must use the engine and tyres allocated to the original driver.
On top of this, in each of Friday's two practice sessions teams may run additional drivers, though each team is still limited to two cars. Any holder of a Super License may run as an additional driver, but stewards must be informed of a team's plans before the end of initial scrutineering on the Thursday prior to practice.
Driver changes and additional drivers
Teams may use up to four drivers during a season, all of whom may score points in the championship. A driver change may be made with the permission of the stewards any time before the start of qualifying. The new driver must use the engine and tyres allocated to the original driver.
On top of this, in each of Friday's two practice sessions teams may run additional drivers, though each team is still limited to two cars. Any holder of a Super License may run as an additional driver, but stewards must be informed of a team's plans before the end of initial scrutineering on the Thursday prior to practice.
Driver penalties
Stewards have the power to impose various penalties on a driver if he commits an offence during a race. Offences may include jumping the start, causing an avoidable accident, unfairly blocking another driver, impeding another driver when being lapped, speeding in the pit lane etc.
The two most common types are the drive-through penalty and the ten-second time penalty. In the case of the former, the driver must enter the pits, drive through the pit lane at the pit-lane speed limit and rejoin the race without stopping. Depending on the length of the pit lane this can cost a driver a significant amount of time.
More severe is the ten-second time penalty (also commonly known as a stop-go penalty) where the driver must not only enter the pits, but must also stop for ten seconds at his pit before rejoining the race. During this time the driver’s team are not permitted to work on the car.
In extreme cases the stewards may choose to enforce a third type of penalty whereby they can force a driver to drop ten grid positions at the next Grand Prix. So even if the driver in question goes on to qualify in pole position, he will in fact start that race from 11th place.
Officials
At every Grand Prix meeting there are seven key race officials who monitor and control the activities of the stewards and marshals to ensure the smooth and safe running of the event in accordance with FIA regulations.
Five of the seven officials are nominated by the FIA. These are the race director (currently Charlie Whiting), a permanent starter and three additional stewards, one of whom is nominated chairman. The additional stewards must be FIA Super Licence holders.
The other two key officials are nominated by the National Sporting Authority (ASN) of the country holding the race. These are the clerk of the course and an additional steward (who must be a national of the host nation). Both must be FIA Super Licence holders.
The clerk of the course works in consultation with the race director, who has overriding authority. The race director directs the clerk of the course on how to instruct the stewards during the various practice, qualifying and race sessions.
The race director and the clerk of the course, as well as the FIA technical delegate (currently Jo Bauer), must all be present at the event from 10am on Thursday (Wednesday in Monaco) onwards.
The race director, the clerk of the course and the chairman of the stewards must all be in radio contact while cars are on track. Furthermore, at these times the clerk of the course must be in the race-control headquarters and in radio contact with all of the marshal’s posts.
Parc Ferme
Parc ferme is an enclosed and secure area in the paddock where the cars are weighed and any other checks deemed necessary by race officials are made. Teams must leave their cars here from within three and a half hours of the end of the qualifying on Saturday until five hours before the start of the formation lap on Sunday.
However, the cars are deemed to be under parc ferme conditions for a much longer period - from the time they first exit the pits during qualifying until the start of the formation lap immediately prior to the race.
Under these conditions, the work teams may carry out on their cars is limited to strictly-specified routine procedures, which can only be performed under the watchful eye of the FIA Technical Delegate and race scrutineers. Fuel may be added to the cars (those eligible for the final period of qualifying may only replace what they used in that period), tyres changed and brakes bled. Minor front wing adjustments are also allowed, but little else. These controls mean that teams cannot make significant alterations to the set-up of a car between qualifying and the race.
The only exception to this is when there is a "change in climatic conditions", for example a dry qualifying session followed by a wet race, or vice versa. In this case the FIA will give the teams permission to make further appropriate changes to their cars.
Should a car require an engine change between qualifying and the race, then the driver concerned will be required to start from the back of the grid. Modifications to other parts or suspension set-up will require the driver to start from the pit lane.
Points
The top eight finishers in each Grand Prix score points towards both the drivers’ and the constructors’ world championships, according to the following scale:
1st place: 10 points
2nd place: 8 points
3rd place: 6 points
4th place: 5 points
5th place: 4 points
6th place: 3 points
7th place: 2 points
8th place: 1 point
(The only exception to this is when a race is suspended and cannot be restarted. If less than 75 per cent of the race distance has been completed half points are awarded, and if less than two laps have been completed, no points are awarded.)
For example, if in a given race Jenson Button finishes third for Brawn GP and team mate Rubens Barrichello fifth, then Button and Barrichello score six and four points respectively towards the drivers’ championship, while Brawn GP score 10 points (six plus four) towards the constructors’ championship.
The drivers' and constructors' championship titles are awarded to the driver and constructor who score the most points over the course of the season. In the case of a dead heat for a championship place then the driver or constructor with the higher number of superior race results will be awarded the place.
Practice and qualifying
At each Grand Prix meeting all race drivers may participate in two one and a half-hour practice sessions on Friday (Thursday at Monaco), a one-hour session on Saturday morning and a qualifying session on Saturday afternoon. While individual practice sessions are not compulsory, a driver must take part in at least one Saturday session to be eligible for the race.
Saturday's one-hour qualifying session is split into three distinct parts, each with multiple drivers on track simultaneously, and each with the drivers running as many laps as they want:
Q1: All 20 cars may run laps at any time during the first 20 minutes of the hour. At the end of the first 20 minutes, the five slowest cars drop out and fill the final five grid places.
Q2: After a seven-minute break, the times will be reset and the 15 remaining cars then will then run in a 15-minute session - again they may complete as many laps as they want at any time during that period. At the end of the 15 minutes, the five slowest cars drop out and fill places 11 to 15 on the grid.
Q3: After a further eight-minute break, the times are reset and a final 10-minute session will feature a shootout between the remaining 10 cars to decide pole position and the starting order for the top 10 grid places. Again, these cars may run as many laps as they wish.
If a driver is deemed by the stewards to have stopped unnecessarily on the circuit or impeded another driver during qualifying, his times may be cancelled.
Race start procedure
Prior to every Grand Prix the teams and drivers must adhere to a very strict starting procedure. This gets underway 30 minutes before the formation lap when the pit lane is opened.
Drivers are then free to complete a reconnaissance lap of the circuit before taking up their grid positions. If a driver wishes to complete additional reconnaissance laps he must pass through the pit lane each time in order to bypass the grid.
The pit lane closes 15 minutes prior to the formation lap. Any drivers still in the pit lane at this time will have to start the race from there.
Ten minutes before the start the grid must be cleared except for team technical staff, race officials and drivers. With three minutes to go all cars must have their wheels fitted (any car not complying will receive a 10-second time penalty).
With a minute to go all cars must have their engines running. All personnel must then leave the grid at least 15 seconds before the green lights come on to signal the start of the formation lap.
Any driver who has a problem immediately prior to the green light must raise his arm to indicate this. Once the rest of the field has moved off marshals will push the car into the pit lane.
During the formation lap no practice starts are allowed. Overtaking is also forbidden unless passing a car that has slowed due to a technical problem. Passed cars may in turn re-overtake in order to regain their grid position if the problem is resolved during the course of the formation lap.
However, any driver who is still on the grid when all other cars have moved off on the formation lap, but then subsequently gets away, may not re-pass cars to regain his grid position, but must instead start from the back.
Once all cars have safely taken up their grid positions at the end of the formation lap five red lights will appear in sequence at one-second intervals. These red lights are then extinguished to signal the start of the race.
If a driver has a problem on the grid immediately prior to the start he must raise his arm and the start will be aborted. A new formation lap, which will count towards the race distance, will then be completed.
The only exceptions to these start procedures are connected to the weather. If it starts to rain in the three minutes prior to the start then the abort lights will come on and the starting procedure will revert to the 10-minute point to allow teams to change to appropriate tyres.
If the weather is exceptionally bad the race director may choose to abort the start and resume the starting procedure only when conditions have improved. Alternatively, he may decide to start the race behind the safety car.
Refuelling
During practice, refuelling is only permitted in a team’s garage area or in the FIA garage. Race-refuelling systems may only be used in the pit lane during qualifying and the race. The driver may remain in the car and the engine left switched on, unless a system not approved by the FIA is being used. All personnel working on the car must wear protective fire-resistant clothing and an assistant carrying a suitable fire extinguisher must be beside the car during refuelling.
Teams are free to alter their cars’ fuel loads at will during practice, the first two stages of qualifying (Q1 and Q2), and the race. However, once qualifying is over teams are forbidden from connecting to the fuel system of any car until the start of the race.
Furthermore, no refuelling is allowed during Q3 - hence drivers participating in that session must start the race with whatever fuel was left in their car at the end of Q3. If a driver makes it through to Q3, but is then unable to compete in the session, his team must inform the FIA immediately of how much fuel they wish to add to the car.
Refuelling when a race has been suspended is forbidden unless a car is already in the pit entry or pit lane.
Safety car
The safety car’s main function, as its name implies, is to assist in maintaining safe track conditions throughout the Grand Prix weekend. It is driven by an experienced circuit driver and carries an FIA observer who is in permanent radio contact with race control.
If an accident or incident occurs that is not severe enough to warrant suspending the race, but which cannot be dealt with under yellow flags, then the safety car will be called on to the circuit to slow the cars down.
It will come on to the circuit with its orange lights on and all drivers must form a queue behind it with no overtaking allowed. The safety car will signal backmarkers to pass by using its green light until the race leader is immediately behind it, followed by the rest of the field in race order. Any lapped car between cars running on the lead lap must pass those cars and the safety car before proceeding slowly around the track to take up their correct position at the back of the pack.
If the incident that brought out the safety car has blocked the pit straight, the clerk of the course may direct the safety car to lead the field through the pit lane. Cars are free to stop at their pit garage should this happen.
When the safety car is ready to leave the circuit it extinguishes its orange lights, indicating to the drivers that it will peel off into the pits at the end of the current lap. The drivers then continue in formation until they cross the start-finish line where green lights will indicate that they are free to race again.
In exceptional circumstances, such as in extremely poor weather, a race may begin behind the safety car, which will put its orange lights on at least a minute before the start to indicate this. When those lights switch to green the safety car will lead the field around the circuit in grid order.
Overtaking on this first lap is not allowed, unless a car has a problem. The safety car will peel into the pits at the end of the lap and drivers are free to race once they have crossed the line to commence the next lap.
All laps completed behind the safety car count as race laps.
Scrutineering and weighing
A team of specially appointed scrutineers has the power to check cars at any point during a Grand Prix weekend to ensure that they fully comply with technical and safety regulations.
Every car is initially examined on the Thursday of a race meeting (Wednesday at Monaco) and a car cannot take part in the event until it has passed scrutineering. A car must be re-examined by scrutineers if any significant changes are made to it by the team or if it is involved in an accident.
In addition to scrutineering, cars are also weighed throughout the Grand Prix weekend to ensure that they comply with minimum weight requirements (currently 600kg including driver, except during qualifying when it is 605kg). During practice and qualifying cars are called in at random to be weighed. After the race every car and driver is weighed.
Any competitor failing to meet the minimum weight may lose their qualifying times or be excluded from the race results unless this is due to the accidental loss of part of the car.
Spare cars, engines and gearboxes
FIA regulations state that drivers may have no more than two cars available for use at any one time. Spare cars are no longer allowed, though teams may bring additional chassis which can be built up in the event of a race chassis being damaged beyond repair.
If a driver switches car between qualifying and the race then he must start the race from the pit lane. A change of car is not allowed once the race has started.
There are also restrictions on engine and gearbox use. Each driver may use no more than eight engines during a championship season. Should a driver use more than eight engines, he will drop 10 places on the starting grid of the event at which an additional unit is to be used.
Each driver may use no more than one gearbox for four consecutive events. Every unscheduled gearbox change will require the driver to drop five places on the grid at that meeting. Every subsequent unscheduled gearbox change will require the driver to drop five places on the grid.
If a driver fails to finish a race due to reasons beyond his or his team's control, he may start the next meeting with a different gearbox without incurring a penalty.
Suspending and resuming a race
If a race is suspended because of an accident or poor track conditions then red flags will be shown around the circuit. When this happens, the pit exit will be closed and all cars on track must proceed slowly to the red flag line without overtaking and then stop in staggered formation with the leading car at the front. Any driver pitting after the red flag signal will be given a drive-through penalty.
The safety car will then be driven to the front of the queue. While the race is suspended team members may come onto the track to work on the cars, but refuelling is not allowed.
Cars that were already in the pits when the red flag signal was given may be worked on there, with refuelling permitted. These cars, and any that enter the pits while the race is suspended, may only rejoin the track once the race has been resumed.
At least a ten minute warning will be given before the race is resumed behind the safety car, which will lead the field for one lap before pulling into the pits. As usual, overtaking behind the safety car is forbidden.
If for whatever reason it is impossible to resume the race, the rules state that “the results will be taken at the end of the penultimate lap before the lap during which the signal to suspend the race was given”.
Testing
As the sport's technical demands have grown in recent years, so too has the importance of testing. With the FIA ever mindful of rising costs, as of 2009 teams are limited to 15,000 test kilometres during a calendar year. Young driver training and promotional events do not count towards this tally.
Testing can only take place at FIA-approved sites and, ahead of a session, teams must inform the governing body of their schedule so that an observer can be appointed if deemed necessary. All cars must be fitted with the standardised, FIA-approved Electronic Control Unit during tests.
From 2009, testing during the race season itself is banned (from the week preceding the first Grand Prix to December 31), with the exception of a small number of straight-line aero tests. There are also restrictions on wind tunnel testing - the scale models used may be no larger than 60 percent and speeds are limited to 50 metres per second.
Tyres
Formula One racing features a single tyre supplier, with all teams using identical Bridgestone rubber. The advantages of this (over multiple tyre suppliers) include closer racing and reduced testing and development costs.
At each Grand Prix every team is given access to two specifications of dry-weather tyre. Unless conditions are wet, drivers must use both specifications during the race. A green band on the sidewall of the softer compound allows spectators to distinguish which tyre a driver is on.
Over the race weekend, each driver has access to 14 sets of dry-weather tyres, four sets of intermediate tyres and three sets of wet tyres.
Teams are free to use intermediate or wet tyres as they see fit during qualifying and the race. However, during the preceding practice sessions, they may only be used if the track has been declared wet by the race director. If a race is started behind the safety car due to heavy rain, the use of wet tyres is compulsory.
All tyres are given a bar code at the start of the weekend so that the FIA can closely monitor their use and ensure that no team is breaking regulations.
A number of changes to both the Sporting and Technical Regulations have been made by the FIA for the 2009 Formula One season. In the case of the Sporting Regulations, the primary aims are increased reliability and further cost reductions. In the case of the technical changes, there are three main objectives - reducing the role of aerodynamics in the cars’ performance; making overtaking easier; and keeping lap times in check.
Tyres
After 10 seasons on grooved tyres, Formula One racing returns to slicks in 2009, as part of moves to increase the emphasis on mechanical rather than aerodynamic grip. With no grooves, grip will increase by around 20 percent, bringing a significant performance gain. However, that gain will be offset by the vastly reduced downforce levels of the revised aerodynamic regulations (see below). The overall effect should be reduced performance through high-speed corners.
Drivers will still have the choice of two dry tyre compounds and will still have to use both compounds during a race. As before, suppliers Bridgestone will select the two compounds for each race from their four-compound range - super-soft, soft, medium and hard. However, unlike in 2008, they will not select two consecutive compounds, so the difference between ‘harder’ and ‘softer’ at any given race will be far greater. A green band on the sidewall will distinguish the softer compound.
Standard wet-weather tyres will now officially be known as 'intermediates', and extreme wet-weather tyres will be referred to simply as 'wets'. The latter will feature a green central groove.
Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS)
From 2009 teams have the option of employing a KERS to boost their car’s performance. As its name implies, a KERS recovers the (normally wasted) kinetic energy generated by the car’s braking process. This energy is stored using a mechanical flywheel or an electrical battery and then made available to the driver, in set amounts per lap, via a ‘boost button’ on the steering wheel. Under the current regulations the power gain equates to around 80 horsepower, available for just under seven seconds per lap. This could be worth several tenths of a second in terms of lap time, but the weight and packaging of the system - and its impact on the car’s weight distribution - also have to be taken into account.
Engines
In a move designed to boost reliability still further, rev limits will be cut from 19,000 to 18,000 rpm. Drivers will be limited to eight engines per season, with each team allowed an additional four engines for testing. Once a driver has used up his eight-engine allocation, any engine change will incur a 10-place grid penalty (or a move to the back of the grid if made after qualifying) for the event at which the change is made. Just one team - Renault - has been allowed to make performance modifications to their engine for 2009 in order to help equalise power outputs.
Aerodynamics
Along with slick tyres, this is the biggest area of change for 2009. Downforce will be dramatically reduced and the cars’ bodywork will appear much cleaner, thanks to new dimensional regulations that effectively outlaw extraneous items such as barge boards, winglets, turning vanes and chimneys on most areas of the car.
As well as reducing overall aero performance, the revisions are also designed to increase overtaking by making the car less susceptible to turbulence when closely following another driver. The most obvious changes are to the front and rear wings.
The front wing becomes lower (75mm from 150mm) and wider (up from 1400 to 1800mm - the same width as the car) with driver-adjustable flaps. Drivers will be allowed to make two wing adjustments per lap, altering the wing angle over a six-degree range.
The rear wing becomes taller (up 150mm to bring it level with the top of the engine cover) and narrower (750mm from 1000mm).
Also at the back of the car, the diffuser has been moved rearwards, its leading edge now level with (rather than ahead of) the rear-wheel axle line. In addition, the diffuser has been made longer and higher, all changes that will reduce its ability to generate downforce.
Testing
From 2009 onwards testing is not allowed during the race season (from the week prior to the first Grand Prix until December 31) and is limited to 15,000 kilometres.
Safety car
The pit lane will now remain open throughout any safety-car period, allowing drivers to refuel without penalty. However, to ensure that drivers are not tempted to speed back to the pit lane, a new software system which employs GPS and the cars’ standard ECU has been introduced. When the safety car is deployed, each driver is given a minimum ‘back to pit’ time based on his position on track. If he arrives in the pit lane before that time he will be penalised.
Pre-race weights
After qualifying, the FIA will publish the weight at which all cars are expected to start the race, giving spectators an accurate gauge of what fuel load each driver is carrying.
Car livery
Teams must run their two cars with essentially the same race livery throughout the season and must seek prior approval for any major changes.
In addition there are a number of requirements that apply to liveries for all cars and teams. Every car must carry its driver’s race number, which must be clearly visible from the front of the car, and the driver’s name must appear on the external bodywork of the car. The team’s name or emblem must also appear on the nose of the car.
To help distinguish between a team’s two cars, the onboard cameras which sit on top of the main rollover structure are coloured differently. On the first car it must be predominantly fluorescent red and on the second car it must be fluorescent yellow.
Classification
A commonly asked question is how drivers can be given a placing in the official race results even though they retired before the end of the race. The explanation can be found within the FIA regulations regarding classification.
These state that any driver who completed at least 90 per cent of the race distance will be classified, whether or not he was running when the winner took the chequered flag.
If a race is stopped before the full distance and a result is declared, the classification will reflect the race order at the end of the lap two laps prior to that on which the race was stopped (see ‘Suspending and resuming a race’). For example, if a race is stopped on lap 60, the classification will be as it was at the end of lap 58.
Driver changes and additional drivers
Teams may use up to four drivers during a season, all of whom may score points in the championship. A driver change may be made with the permission of the stewards any time before the start of qualifying. The new driver must use the engine and tyres allocated to the original driver.
On top of this, in each of Friday's two practice sessions teams may run additional drivers, though each team is still limited to two cars. Any holder of a Super License may run as an additional driver, but stewards must be informed of a team's plans before the end of initial scrutineering on the Thursday prior to practice.
Driver changes and additional drivers
Teams may use up to four drivers during a season, all of whom may score points in the championship. A driver change may be made with the permission of the stewards any time before the start of qualifying. The new driver must use the engine and tyres allocated to the original driver.
On top of this, in each of Friday's two practice sessions teams may run additional drivers, though each team is still limited to two cars. Any holder of a Super License may run as an additional driver, but stewards must be informed of a team's plans before the end of initial scrutineering on the Thursday prior to practice.
Driver penalties
Stewards have the power to impose various penalties on a driver if he commits an offence during a race. Offences may include jumping the start, causing an avoidable accident, unfairly blocking another driver, impeding another driver when being lapped, speeding in the pit lane etc.
The two most common types are the drive-through penalty and the ten-second time penalty. In the case of the former, the driver must enter the pits, drive through the pit lane at the pit-lane speed limit and rejoin the race without stopping. Depending on the length of the pit lane this can cost a driver a significant amount of time.
More severe is the ten-second time penalty (also commonly known as a stop-go penalty) where the driver must not only enter the pits, but must also stop for ten seconds at his pit before rejoining the race. During this time the driver’s team are not permitted to work on the car.
In extreme cases the stewards may choose to enforce a third type of penalty whereby they can force a driver to drop ten grid positions at the next Grand Prix. So even if the driver in question goes on to qualify in pole position, he will in fact start that race from 11th place.
Officials
At every Grand Prix meeting there are seven key race officials who monitor and control the activities of the stewards and marshals to ensure the smooth and safe running of the event in accordance with FIA regulations.
Five of the seven officials are nominated by the FIA. These are the race director (currently Charlie Whiting), a permanent starter and three additional stewards, one of whom is nominated chairman. The additional stewards must be FIA Super Licence holders.
The other two key officials are nominated by the National Sporting Authority (ASN) of the country holding the race. These are the clerk of the course and an additional steward (who must be a national of the host nation). Both must be FIA Super Licence holders.
The clerk of the course works in consultation with the race director, who has overriding authority. The race director directs the clerk of the course on how to instruct the stewards during the various practice, qualifying and race sessions.
The race director and the clerk of the course, as well as the FIA technical delegate (currently Jo Bauer), must all be present at the event from 10am on Thursday (Wednesday in Monaco) onwards.
The race director, the clerk of the course and the chairman of the stewards must all be in radio contact while cars are on track. Furthermore, at these times the clerk of the course must be in the race-control headquarters and in radio contact with all of the marshal’s posts.
Parc Ferme
Parc ferme is an enclosed and secure area in the paddock where the cars are weighed and any other checks deemed necessary by race officials are made. Teams must leave their cars here from within three and a half hours of the end of the qualifying on Saturday until five hours before the start of the formation lap on Sunday.
However, the cars are deemed to be under parc ferme conditions for a much longer period - from the time they first exit the pits during qualifying until the start of the formation lap immediately prior to the race.
Under these conditions, the work teams may carry out on their cars is limited to strictly-specified routine procedures, which can only be performed under the watchful eye of the FIA Technical Delegate and race scrutineers. Fuel may be added to the cars (those eligible for the final period of qualifying may only replace what they used in that period), tyres changed and brakes bled. Minor front wing adjustments are also allowed, but little else. These controls mean that teams cannot make significant alterations to the set-up of a car between qualifying and the race.
The only exception to this is when there is a "change in climatic conditions", for example a dry qualifying session followed by a wet race, or vice versa. In this case the FIA will give the teams permission to make further appropriate changes to their cars.
Should a car require an engine change between qualifying and the race, then the driver concerned will be required to start from the back of the grid. Modifications to other parts or suspension set-up will require the driver to start from the pit lane.
Points
The top eight finishers in each Grand Prix score points towards both the drivers’ and the constructors’ world championships, according to the following scale:
1st place: 10 points
2nd place: 8 points
3rd place: 6 points
4th place: 5 points
5th place: 4 points
6th place: 3 points
7th place: 2 points
8th place: 1 point
(The only exception to this is when a race is suspended and cannot be restarted. If less than 75 per cent of the race distance has been completed half points are awarded, and if less than two laps have been completed, no points are awarded.)
For example, if in a given race Jenson Button finishes third for Brawn GP and team mate Rubens Barrichello fifth, then Button and Barrichello score six and four points respectively towards the drivers’ championship, while Brawn GP score 10 points (six plus four) towards the constructors’ championship.
The drivers' and constructors' championship titles are awarded to the driver and constructor who score the most points over the course of the season. In the case of a dead heat for a championship place then the driver or constructor with the higher number of superior race results will be awarded the place.
Practice and qualifying
At each Grand Prix meeting all race drivers may participate in two one and a half-hour practice sessions on Friday (Thursday at Monaco), a one-hour session on Saturday morning and a qualifying session on Saturday afternoon. While individual practice sessions are not compulsory, a driver must take part in at least one Saturday session to be eligible for the race.
Saturday's one-hour qualifying session is split into three distinct parts, each with multiple drivers on track simultaneously, and each with the drivers running as many laps as they want:
Q1: All 20 cars may run laps at any time during the first 20 minutes of the hour. At the end of the first 20 minutes, the five slowest cars drop out and fill the final five grid places.
Q2: After a seven-minute break, the times will be reset and the 15 remaining cars then will then run in a 15-minute session - again they may complete as many laps as they want at any time during that period. At the end of the 15 minutes, the five slowest cars drop out and fill places 11 to 15 on the grid.
Q3: After a further eight-minute break, the times are reset and a final 10-minute session will feature a shootout between the remaining 10 cars to decide pole position and the starting order for the top 10 grid places. Again, these cars may run as many laps as they wish.
If a driver is deemed by the stewards to have stopped unnecessarily on the circuit or impeded another driver during qualifying, his times may be cancelled.
Race start procedure
Prior to every Grand Prix the teams and drivers must adhere to a very strict starting procedure. This gets underway 30 minutes before the formation lap when the pit lane is opened.
Drivers are then free to complete a reconnaissance lap of the circuit before taking up their grid positions. If a driver wishes to complete additional reconnaissance laps he must pass through the pit lane each time in order to bypass the grid.
The pit lane closes 15 minutes prior to the formation lap. Any drivers still in the pit lane at this time will have to start the race from there.
Ten minutes before the start the grid must be cleared except for team technical staff, race officials and drivers. With three minutes to go all cars must have their wheels fitted (any car not complying will receive a 10-second time penalty).
With a minute to go all cars must have their engines running. All personnel must then leave the grid at least 15 seconds before the green lights come on to signal the start of the formation lap.
Any driver who has a problem immediately prior to the green light must raise his arm to indicate this. Once the rest of the field has moved off marshals will push the car into the pit lane.
During the formation lap no practice starts are allowed. Overtaking is also forbidden unless passing a car that has slowed due to a technical problem. Passed cars may in turn re-overtake in order to regain their grid position if the problem is resolved during the course of the formation lap.
However, any driver who is still on the grid when all other cars have moved off on the formation lap, but then subsequently gets away, may not re-pass cars to regain his grid position, but must instead start from the back.
Once all cars have safely taken up their grid positions at the end of the formation lap five red lights will appear in sequence at one-second intervals. These red lights are then extinguished to signal the start of the race.
If a driver has a problem on the grid immediately prior to the start he must raise his arm and the start will be aborted. A new formation lap, which will count towards the race distance, will then be completed.
The only exceptions to these start procedures are connected to the weather. If it starts to rain in the three minutes prior to the start then the abort lights will come on and the starting procedure will revert to the 10-minute point to allow teams to change to appropriate tyres.
If the weather is exceptionally bad the race director may choose to abort the start and resume the starting procedure only when conditions have improved. Alternatively, he may decide to start the race behind the safety car.
Refuelling
During practice, refuelling is only permitted in a team’s garage area or in the FIA garage. Race-refuelling systems may only be used in the pit lane during qualifying and the race. The driver may remain in the car and the engine left switched on, unless a system not approved by the FIA is being used. All personnel working on the car must wear protective fire-resistant clothing and an assistant carrying a suitable fire extinguisher must be beside the car during refuelling.
Teams are free to alter their cars’ fuel loads at will during practice, the first two stages of qualifying (Q1 and Q2), and the race. However, once qualifying is over teams are forbidden from connecting to the fuel system of any car until the start of the race.
Furthermore, no refuelling is allowed during Q3 - hence drivers participating in that session must start the race with whatever fuel was left in their car at the end of Q3. If a driver makes it through to Q3, but is then unable to compete in the session, his team must inform the FIA immediately of how much fuel they wish to add to the car.
Refuelling when a race has been suspended is forbidden unless a car is already in the pit entry or pit lane.
Safety car
The safety car’s main function, as its name implies, is to assist in maintaining safe track conditions throughout the Grand Prix weekend. It is driven by an experienced circuit driver and carries an FIA observer who is in permanent radio contact with race control.
If an accident or incident occurs that is not severe enough to warrant suspending the race, but which cannot be dealt with under yellow flags, then the safety car will be called on to the circuit to slow the cars down.
It will come on to the circuit with its orange lights on and all drivers must form a queue behind it with no overtaking allowed. The safety car will signal backmarkers to pass by using its green light until the race leader is immediately behind it, followed by the rest of the field in race order. Any lapped car between cars running on the lead lap must pass those cars and the safety car before proceeding slowly around the track to take up their correct position at the back of the pack.
If the incident that brought out the safety car has blocked the pit straight, the clerk of the course may direct the safety car to lead the field through the pit lane. Cars are free to stop at their pit garage should this happen.
When the safety car is ready to leave the circuit it extinguishes its orange lights, indicating to the drivers that it will peel off into the pits at the end of the current lap. The drivers then continue in formation until they cross the start-finish line where green lights will indicate that they are free to race again.
In exceptional circumstances, such as in extremely poor weather, a race may begin behind the safety car, which will put its orange lights on at least a minute before the start to indicate this. When those lights switch to green the safety car will lead the field around the circuit in grid order.
Overtaking on this first lap is not allowed, unless a car has a problem. The safety car will peel into the pits at the end of the lap and drivers are free to race once they have crossed the line to commence the next lap.
All laps completed behind the safety car count as race laps.
Scrutineering and weighing
A team of specially appointed scrutineers has the power to check cars at any point during a Grand Prix weekend to ensure that they fully comply with technical and safety regulations.
Every car is initially examined on the Thursday of a race meeting (Wednesday at Monaco) and a car cannot take part in the event until it has passed scrutineering. A car must be re-examined by scrutineers if any significant changes are made to it by the team or if it is involved in an accident.
In addition to scrutineering, cars are also weighed throughout the Grand Prix weekend to ensure that they comply with minimum weight requirements (currently 600kg including driver, except during qualifying when it is 605kg). During practice and qualifying cars are called in at random to be weighed. After the race every car and driver is weighed.
Any competitor failing to meet the minimum weight may lose their qualifying times or be excluded from the race results unless this is due to the accidental loss of part of the car.
Spare cars, engines and gearboxes
FIA regulations state that drivers may have no more than two cars available for use at any one time. Spare cars are no longer allowed, though teams may bring additional chassis which can be built up in the event of a race chassis being damaged beyond repair.
If a driver switches car between qualifying and the race then he must start the race from the pit lane. A change of car is not allowed once the race has started.
There are also restrictions on engine and gearbox use. Each driver may use no more than eight engines during a championship season. Should a driver use more than eight engines, he will drop 10 places on the starting grid of the event at which an additional unit is to be used.
Each driver may use no more than one gearbox for four consecutive events. Every unscheduled gearbox change will require the driver to drop five places on the grid at that meeting. Every subsequent unscheduled gearbox change will require the driver to drop five places on the grid.
If a driver fails to finish a race due to reasons beyond his or his team's control, he may start the next meeting with a different gearbox without incurring a penalty.
Suspending and resuming a race
If a race is suspended because of an accident or poor track conditions then red flags will be shown around the circuit. When this happens, the pit exit will be closed and all cars on track must proceed slowly to the red flag line without overtaking and then stop in staggered formation with the leading car at the front. Any driver pitting after the red flag signal will be given a drive-through penalty.
The safety car will then be driven to the front of the queue. While the race is suspended team members may come onto the track to work on the cars, but refuelling is not allowed.
Cars that were already in the pits when the red flag signal was given may be worked on there, with refuelling permitted. These cars, and any that enter the pits while the race is suspended, may only rejoin the track once the race has been resumed.
At least a ten minute warning will be given before the race is resumed behind the safety car, which will lead the field for one lap before pulling into the pits. As usual, overtaking behind the safety car is forbidden.
If for whatever reason it is impossible to resume the race, the rules state that “the results will be taken at the end of the penultimate lap before the lap during which the signal to suspend the race was given”.
Testing
As the sport's technical demands have grown in recent years, so too has the importance of testing. With the FIA ever mindful of rising costs, as of 2009 teams are limited to 15,000 test kilometres during a calendar year. Young driver training and promotional events do not count towards this tally.
Testing can only take place at FIA-approved sites and, ahead of a session, teams must inform the governing body of their schedule so that an observer can be appointed if deemed necessary. All cars must be fitted with the standardised, FIA-approved Electronic Control Unit during tests.
From 2009, testing during the race season itself is banned (from the week preceding the first Grand Prix to December 31), with the exception of a small number of straight-line aero tests. There are also restrictions on wind tunnel testing - the scale models used may be no larger than 60 percent and speeds are limited to 50 metres per second.
Tyres
Formula One racing features a single tyre supplier, with all teams using identical Bridgestone rubber. The advantages of this (over multiple tyre suppliers) include closer racing and reduced testing and development costs.
At each Grand Prix every team is given access to two specifications of dry-weather tyre. Unless conditions are wet, drivers must use both specifications during the race. A green band on the sidewall of the softer compound allows spectators to distinguish which tyre a driver is on.
Over the race weekend, each driver has access to 14 sets of dry-weather tyres, four sets of intermediate tyres and three sets of wet tyres.
Teams are free to use intermediate or wet tyres as they see fit during qualifying and the race. However, during the preceding practice sessions, they may only be used if the track has been declared wet by the race director. If a race is started behind the safety car due to heavy rain, the use of wet tyres is compulsory.
All tyres are given a bar code at the start of the weekend so that the FIA can closely monitor their use and ensure that no team is breaking regulations.
