New Formula1 sporting regulations: Boon or Bane......

The new Formula 1 regulations are up and running in the much awaited “Green Formula 1″. The new regulations though some tell are cruel and will diminish the basic speed essence of the game, but in the words of F1 president, Jean Todt, the new regulations are meant to bring sports cars in line with road car technology and to enhance the diminutive image of Formula1 cars being anti-environment gadgets.

Some changes in the new regulations include the embarking of the “turbochargers prodigy”. The turbochargers come into action after a gap of 26 years. The return of turbochargers means more fuel efficiency and higher power in these power packed engines.

The decrease in the fuel capacity to just 140 litres from the earlier 220 litres , has given the race engineers a hard time. And on top of that a mandatory 1 litre after race inspection along with enough fuel to drive over to the pits after the chequered flag has been flung. So the long awaited fuel efficient and green race cars technology might provide the mojo as the early fast-speed devil, but all for a better future.

The renaming of KERS as ERS-K will make the Kinetic Energy Recovery System as a Heat Based Energy Recovery System which is gonna provide 161 bhp for 33 seconds per lap in comparison to 80 bhp for 6 seconds in KERS.

Another cruel regulation for drivers include the revised speed used in the pit lane. The former rule of 100 kmph speed in pit lane has been reduced to 80 kmph. The engine quota has also been revised and decreased to 5 for the entire season from the earlier 8. This also includes the components involved in the engine like turbocharger, KERS battery, and ERS, all of which will be allowed only 5 replacements. Refusal to follow the rule will lead to a start from the pit lane rather than the 10-place grid penalty.

The inclusion of having a fixed gear ratio for the entire season is another dismal news for the engineers and drivers reducing their flexibility of having different gear ratios depending upon the circuits.

The decrease in the weight of the car from 691 kg to 642 kg will mean the engines, turbochargers and other components have to provide the same performance, but with lesser components to keep in view of the car weight, another hell of a task for engineers.

Various changes have been introduced regarding the penalty system of the sport. Penalty system has been changed to the extent that a driver can receive suspension from a race due to penalty points accumulated. Every penalty will now receive points and if a driver accumulates 12 points he will be banned from the next race and on joining in the next race he will receive an additional 5 point penalty to discourage such actions from happening again.

More regulations of reducing nose height and use of false mountings for the camera, which used to provide engineers extra space to add some aerodynamic features, on the car have given the engineers less breathing space. But the new regulations have no doubt made this sport worthwhile. The earlier draconian rule of Red Bull has been tormented by these regulations, when the machine’s power was deciding the result of the race. Now the tables have turned and a mean machine is not enough to make you win a race but a meaner drive is.

In this brawl of wits and technology the winner will undoubtedly be the one who is going to present a new dimension in the racing scenario which will make the most expensive sports a little less expensive and much more efficient and start the much needed “Green Revolution” in the motor industry.