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Traditionally,
Formula One rules have been written by the engineers. Save in very
exceptional circumstances, the Concorde Agreement (Clause 7.1) prevents
anyone except the team technical directors making technical rules. This may
no longer be the best approach. A better method might be to specify what we
want the rules to achieve and only then allow the engineers to make
proposals. The purpose of this note, therefore, is to suggest objectives
together with some new rules to achieve them.
Safety, fairness, keeping the current six major car manufacturers involved,
preserving the independent teams and ensuring that the public continue to
enjoy Formula One are the five principal challenges for the Formula One
World Championship in 2008. Everyone is agreed on the need for the first
two; the last three are more controversial.
The need to cut costs:
On the face of it, costs need to be cut. We have lost two independent teams
and one major manufacturer in the last three years with no replacement in
sight. However, some manufacturers are opposed to any economy measure which
might curtail technical exploration. Five of the six competing car
manufacturers are very large companies. Each assumes it has the money and
technical expertise to win the Formula One World Championship alone or in
partnership with an independent team. Each is apparently prepared to spend
large sums to do so.
The manufacturers’ dilemma:
The problem is that however much money the six manufacturers collectively
spend, only one can win, while each season one at least is going to finish
with cars in 11th and 12th places or worse. Dr Helmut Panke, Chief Executive
of BMW, said recently “We are not satisfied with the sixth and seventh
places and we are in intensive discussions on how to do better”. But if all
six manufacturers and their twelve cars stay in Formula One, one of them
will have to be content with sixth or seventh place each year and two or
three of the remainder will be even less successful.
The simple truth is that whether the six manufacturers collectively spend
€1.5 billion or (at the extreme) €150 million, the result will be the same.
The one with the cleverest engineers, the best-managed team and the best
drivers will win, the others will fail. At the end of the season and after
each race, manufacturers’ cars will be placed all the way down to 11th and
12th and possibly worse if there are one or two good, fully independent
teams. But the Championship will look and feel the same whether €1.5 billion
or (again, at the extreme) €150 million is being spent. Indeed it might be
better with €150 million, because the gap between first and last would
probably be less. So, arguably, some €1.35 billion is being completely
wasted in Formula One each year by the six manufacturers.
Are costs the FIA’s business?
Some say this is no concern of the governing body; how the manufacturers
spend their money is their business. But surely it is the duty of the
governing body to do what it can to keep all the manufacturers involved,
indeed to try to attract new ones. Manufacturers whose cars finish in 7th,
8th and so on, down to 12th place or below (which means at least half our
current six manufacturers) are more likely to stay if their average annual
expenditure is, say, €25 million rather than €250 million.
A 90% reduction in manufacturers’ costs without diminishing the spectacle of
Formula One would probably be possible, given close and rational
collaboration with the manufacturers and teams concerned. But even without
such collaboration, the FIA must at least reduce costs to levels which
independent teams can afford. If we fail, we will lose the independent
teams. Should costs continue at present levels or, worse, escalate in the
next ten years at the same rate as the last ten, we risk simultaneously
driving out the independent teams and some of the less successful
manufacturers. The result would be non-Formula One cars on the grid or,
possibly, the collapse of the Championship.
To be clear, in suggesting a reduction from €250 million to €25 million, we
are speaking of just the costs to a manufacturer of supplying engines to a
single team. The cost of running the team must be added to this to arrive at
the total cost of putting the cars on the grid. It is extraordinary, but
true, that some manufacturers are spending upwards of €250 million just to
supply engines. That this could be reduced by 90% or more is evidenced by
the fact that Cosworth will be able to supply a fully competitive 2006
engine for less than €20 million and are even able to supply (to Red Bull)
an engine to race and qualify in the top ten under this year’s relatively
free-spending rules, for less than one tenth of the expenditure of some
major manufacturers. It does not follow that expenditure is necessary merely
because it is allowed.
A money-spending competition?
Formula One must not be allowed to become a money-spending competition. We
need more emphasis on rules which allow a clever but under-funded team to
defeat a less competent but richer rival. It must not be possible simply to
buy success. This is essential for the survival of fully independent teams
which rely on sponsorship and income from the commercial rights holder. An
independent team will never have the same resources as a team backed by a
major car manufacturer, but they are nevertheless an essential element of
Formula One. In addition to being part of the tradition, they provide an
entry point for young drivers and team personnel and bring colour and
interest to the paddock.
It is probable that rules aimed at keeping all six manufacturers in the
Championship will also make it possible for the independent teams to
survive. Conversely, failure to introduce these rules risks the simultaneous
loss of the independent teams and some of the manufacturers. The case for
getting costs under control appears strong.
Resistance to cost-cutting:
There has been a tendency for well-funded teams to resist cost-cutting,
because the higher the costs, the smaller the number of teams which are
their potential competitors. But rules which allow too steep a slope on the
curve of performance versus expenditure must eventually result in the
richest team dominating and the remainder unable to compete. This has
happened in the distant past. If it were allowed to happen today, Formula
One would quickly lose its international television audience. Collapse would
soon follow. Even the best funded teams should support drastic cost-cutting
in order to preserve Formula One in the medium and longer term.
Formula One has become divorced from reality. If you ask a man in the street
how many people devote their entire working lives to putting two Formula One
cars on the grid 17 times a year, he will probably reply 20 or 30, plus
maybe some part-timers. The reality is about 300 for a small team and up to
1000 for a top team, all full-time employees. Most of these highly skilled
and expensive people add nothing to the spectacle or to the sporting
contest. They are working on things which the public never see and even
enthusiasts are unaware of. Hundreds of talented people, all duplicating
each other’s efforts in the different teams, all to no purpose. It is
difficult to justify this on any rational basis.
Dumbing down?
It is sometimes suggested that reducing the scope for expenditure in Formula
One reduces its technical interest or “dumbs it down”. The immediate
question is: reduces its technical interest to whom? It may fascinate the
relevant engineers that by spending millions of Euros they can build a new
gearbox with ratios that are 0.25mm thinner, but no-one else knows or cares.
There is no additional value for the watching public who, ultimately, pay
for the whole thing. If we eliminate pointless (but very expensive)
engineering exercises, there will still remain huge areas of technical
interest, some of which can be directly relevant to automobile engineering.
For example, a breakthrough in chassis dynamics (more probable with very low
downforce) or the reduction of engine internal losses would give a big
advantage to the team which made it. It would also be more generally
relevant than generating huge levels of downforce or making an ultra-small
gearbox.
Keeping the public interested:
If we manage to control costs and retain a reasonable number of competing
cars, we must also think about the public appeal of Formula One. Everyone
considers themselves an expert on this, but until very recently there has
been no serious attempt to find out what the public think. This is
extraordinary when one remembers that the commercial success of Formula One
would disappear overnight if the public were to lose interest. We hope that
the survey which the FIA is conducting in conjunction with AMD will provide
an insight. In the meantime we have taken a conventional approach and aimed
at (i) closer racing through a drastic reduction in downforce combined with
significantly increased “mechanical” grip; (ii) a more competitive field by
reducing costs and hence the competitive disadvantage of the smaller teams;
(iii) eliminating electronic driver aids to give greater importance to
classic driver skills. If these objectives are achieved, Formula One should
at least be able to maintain its current level of popularity.
Keeping speeds under control:
In addition to containing costs, we hope to contain speeds. Excessive speeds
in Formula One not only endanger the drivers, they also cause problems for
the race organisers. This is because increased speeds necessitate upgrading
circuit safety measures. Safety work increases the organisers’ costs without
producing any additional income. Indeed moving the public further away from
the action on track, which is increasingly necessary for safety reasons,
makes spectating less attractive and risks further reducing the organisers’
income. This is an additional reason for rules which restrict the rate of
increase in performance.
A tight schedule:
Once matters of principle have been decided, it becomes easier to write
rules. However, not all the manufacturers and teams have joined the
discussions during the first four months of the year. The FIA cannot
continue to wait for proposals, because it is obliged to publish the 2008
Formula One Technical Regulations before the end of 2005. In practice this
means the new rules must be finalised by the fourth week of September for
submission to the World Motor Sport Council and the FIA General Assembly at
the end of October. This, in turn, means we can allow the whole of July for
comments from stakeholders, but final preparation of the rules must begin
internally on 1 August.
Some suggested objectives:
We have prepared a first draft of the 2008 rules with the following
objectives:
- the rate of increase in performance of the cars should not exceed the rate
of improvement in measures to protect the public, marshals and competitors;
- the rules and the means of enforcing them should be clear so that everyone
competes on the same basis;
- the rules and methods of enforcement must be sufficiently flexible to deal
with unforeseen technical innovation;
- costs should be contained in order to (i) decrease the likelihood of a
manufacturer leaving after poor results (ii) enable a private team to be
competitive without the support of a major manufacturer and (iii) reduce the
performance deficit of the less well-funded teams;
- expensive technology which is invisible to the public and known only to a
tiny band of specialist engineers should be eliminated where possible;
- expensive materials or designs should not be used as a substitute for good
engineering;
- driver aids should be eliminated as far as possible. In particular the use
of electronic devices should not be allowed to replace driver skills;
- downforce should be drastically reduced and “mechanical” grip increased
substantially for closer racing.
This, then, has been our approach to 2008. Criticism, constructive or
otherwise, is welcome. All comments received during the July consultation
period will be carefully considered when the FIA technical department
finalises its proposals, which it will do in consultation with those teams
and race organisers which have indicated their intention to participate in
the Formula One World Championship from 2008 onwards. We will also take full
account of the results of the FIA/AMD survey of public opinion. Once
finalised and approved by the World Motor Sport Council and FIA General
Assembly, the rules must be published before the end of 2005 as required by
the Concorde Agreement. Thereafter the 2008 technical regulations cannot be
changed without the agreement of everyone concerned.
Changes for 2009 will still require two years’ notice (ie publication before
31.12.2006). Thereafter notice of changes which affect the design of the car
(sporting or technical) will be announced no later than 30 June to come into
force for the next-but-one season (ie a change for 2010 will be announced
before 30.6.2008).
Summary of the main changes proposed for 2008:
ENGINES:
- All components of the engine will be controlled by an Electronic Control
Unit (ECU) which has been manufactured by an FIA designated supplier to an
agreed specification
- The ECU may only be used with FIA approved software and may only be
connected to the control system wiring loom, sensors and actuators as
specified by the FIA
- All control sensors, actuators and FIA monitoring sensors will be
specified and homologated by the FIA
- The control system wiring loom connectivity will be specified by the FIA
- A 3 litre V10 engine will remain an option for teams unable to obtain a
2.4 litre V8, but subject to similar strict performance limitations as in
2006 and 2007
Reasons
- to eliminate the use of driver aids such as traction control
- as teams will not be able to develop their own ECUs, expenditure on
electronics will be considerably reduced
- to allow the FIA to check testing mileage and other elements
- to keep engine costs low for the smaller independent teams
GEARBOXES:
- All cars will be fitted with gear ratios, final drive ratios and
differentials which have been manufactured by an FIA designated supplier to
an agreed specification
- Gear changing will only be permitted by the use of a manually operated
mechanical linkage to the gearbox
- Clutches will only be operated via a foot pedal connected mechanically to
a release mechanism
Reasons
- to restore control over the clutch and gear changing to the driver
- the use of standard gearbox internals will result in a very significant
reduction in expenditure
BODYWORK:
- Downforce will be reduced to approximately 10% of current levels
- Drag will be maintained at current levels
- Overall car width will be increased
- By stipulating maximum and minimum dimensions cars will be “cleaned up”
with devices such as barge boards, flip ups, winglets and other small add on
parts removed
- Total advertising area on the car to remain unchanged
Reasons
- to reduce the reliance upon downforce as a means of improving performance
- by increasing mechanical grip the likelihood of one car being able to
follow another closely in corners, and hence be in an attacking position at
the end of the following straight, will be increased
- eliminating winglets, bargeboards, etc, will reduce costs as well as the
danger of debris on the circuits
- drag should remain unchanged in order to ensure straight line speeds do
not increase significantly
WHEELS AND TYRES:
- Tyres will be supplied by one manufacturer appointed by the FIA after an
invitation to tender. Such an appointment will be conditional upon :
- a suitable supplier being available ;
- a suitable system to ensure tyre testing is carried out in an equitable
manner ;
- no team being disadvantaged by the appointment of a single supplier
(detailed regulations will be written to ensure this would not be the case)
;
- there being no legal impediments during the process of appointing a
supplier
- Slick tyres will be introduced for use in dry weather
- Lower profile tyres will be introduced
- Significantly larger wheels with minimum and maximum sizes stipulated for
front and rear will be permitted
- Tyre blankets and other heating devices will be prohibited
- All tyre regulations will reside in the Technical Regulations
Reasons
- a single supplier would allow a bigger safety margin
- the absence of competitive tyre testing would reduce costs
- as relatively small differences in tyre compound and construction can have
a significant effect on lap times, a single tyre supplier would simply
ensure that no team would be adversely affected by being contracted to the
“wrong” supplier
- slick tyres would be re-introduced as a part of the low-downforce and
high-mechanical-grip package
- lower profile tyres would be introduced in order to give the wheels and
tyres a more modern look and also permit more freedom on brakes and
suspension
- a ban on tyre heating devices would eliminate this significant but
unnecessary expenditure
CHASSIS:
- The minimum height of the centre of gravity of the chassis will be
specified
- The minimum weight for a chassis will be specified
- Energy of all impact tests will be increased
- Loads for all static tests will be increased
- Side intrusion test requirements will be increased
- Ballast will be reduced to minimal levels
Reasons
- to ensure that weight is distributed throughout the chassis
- the centre of gravity requirement should result in less pure ballast being
used, the minimum weight will have to be achieved by the construction of a
stronger chassis
- by raising the impact test speeds, the static load criteria on structures
such as roll hoops and increasing the penetration resistance, drivers will
be even better protected than they are at present
BRAKES:
- All cars will be fitted with brake discs, pads and callipers which have
been manufactured by an FIA designated supplier to an agreed specification
Reason
- to reduce the cost of continual development of new materials and designs,
the FIA specified products will be designed to work on all types of track
and last an entire Grand Prix weekend
DATA ACQUISITION AND TELEMETRY:
- With specific exceptions, any data acquisition system, telemetry system or
associated sensors additional to those associated with the ECU will be
physically separate and completely isolated from the control electronics
- Pit to car telemetry will be prohibited
Reasons
- to ensure that any data acquisition system used by a team cannot interfere
with the FIA specified ECU and sensors
- to ensure teams are unable to send messages to a car and potentially
affect its performance
MATERIALS:
- Limitations, similar to those within the 2006 engine regulations, will be
imposed on all parts of the car
Reason
- costs will be reduced as research into exotic materials will be
unnecessary
STARTER:
- All cars will be equipped with a driver operated starter which is capable
of starting the car without outside assistance a minimum number of times
Reasons
- to simplify the operation of starting a car, at present it is massively
complex
- to give the driver a chance of starting a car unaided in the event of it
stopping on the track
- to reduce the number of personnel needed at an Event and hence reduce
costs
NOTICE OF CHANGE:
- Notice periods for changing the rules will be related to the effect (if
any) of a change on the design of a car rather than an artificial
distinction between “sporting” and “technical” regulations. There will no
longer be a distinction between changes to the engine, transmission or
chassis.
Reason
- to ensure that changes may be made to the regulations in a timely and more
realistic way
SPARE CARS **
- Spare cars will be prohibited, i.e. no team may have more than two
built-up cars available at an Event at any one time. Spare chassis will be
permitted but precisely what constitutes a car in this context will be
clearly defined
Reason
- by taking one car less to races teams will be able to save considerable
sums of money as, apart from the cost of the car itself, fewer personnel
will be needed
TESTING **
- Testing will be limited to 30000km per team between 1st January and 31st
December, subject to a single tyre supplier being appointed
Reason
- To reduce the enormous amounts of money currently being spent on testing
CAR ACQUISITION **
- Teams will be free to buy a complete car or any part of a car from another
constructor
- How constructor’s points are to be allocated will be clearly defined after
further discussion
Reason
- to enable a team to buy a complete car, or any part of a car, from another
constructor. As a result teams will be able to save considerable sums of
money on the design and development of their cars.
** For the
purposes of the submission to the World Council these Sporting Regulations
will be included as an addendum to the draft Technical Regulations |
