A few new rules and changes for the 2012 season: All cars will have to pass all the mandatory crash tests in order to be able to take part in winter testing. All lapped cars will be allowed to unlap themselves and then join at the back of the field during safety car periods, ensuring a clean restart without slower cars in front of the leaders. There will now be a maximum race time of four hours during each grand prix, ensuring that lengthy suspensions do not result in events that are longer than that. The FIA also said that from 2012, drivers will not be allowed to move back onto the racing line after having moved off it to defend their position. From next year, cars which were in the pitlane when a race is suspended will now be allowed to rejoin the grid in the position they were in when the race was stopped. The governing body has also altered the use of tyre allocations, with drivers now allowed to use all tyres from the start of practice. Previously, only three sets were permitted. Drivers will not be allowed to leave the track - like cutting a chicane on reconnaissance laps or 'in' laps to save time and fuel - without a justifiable reason. It has also confirmed there will be a three-day test during the season, which is set to allow teams to run with their drivers mid-campaign.
I can see a lot of penalties for moving back to the racing line, after all going in a straight and off the racing line into a corner the racing line effectively moves back to you as you approach the bend. I feel this is going to be another rule which is open to individual steward interpretation and therefore inconsistently applied throughout next season.
Compared to most new seasons, these regulation changes are relatively minor. The one to watch will be that which concerns the stewards most: moving back to the racing line after a defensive move. This will be awkward and difficult to police consistently. Therefore we can expect Ferrari to be very happy about it…
I think it is meant to be designed so that drivers are not moving to one side and then suddenly chopping back onto the racing line near or in the breaking zones, a bit like what Schumacher was doing at Monza.
Yes, I agree Mifune: it is. The problem is that it will be very difficult to apply consistently when the defensive move comes immediately prior to a corner, or at any point through a series of closely linked corners.
Drivers unable to leave the track without a justifiable reason? I think that is aimed square at Vettel after he cut a large section of track (I forget at which GP) to make the line before qualifying ended. Still, I think it makes sense to tighten that loophole.
I find that type of racing really interesting, as it is not a maneuver that makes contact with another driver, but makes overtaking extremely harder. It tests the attacking drivers skill, obviously if they fail to overtake, the only option is to hit them or complain to the stewards. F1 was like this pre-2000 and it has gone downhill ever since.
Yes consistency really is the perennial problem in the rules, although they do not help themselves by switching the stewards every race.
- Drivers may no longer move back onto the racing line having moved off it to defend a position. That should help cut down contact between drivers. So that when someone is faster the guy in front cannot be stubborn and close the door at the last minute by returning to the racing line and saying "i was on the racing line". Best rule change imo.
I want DRS to **** off out of F1, overtakes like these make me sick. [video=youtube;j9IVsJGzLAY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9IVsJGzLAY[/video] No skill required, pure laziness.
Ok let's debate properly here, his overtakes if any have been made at the start where DRS has been unavailable would you agree? This was a situation where skill and experience was needed to get you to the top spot.. extreme rain conditions, I am sure you will agree also. Thus the reason why DRS eliminated the need for actual experience. Which should not happen. I would agree that DRS was needed because Schumacher had qualified down the field most times. But these were races that would be "boring and uneventful" for the viewers otherwise.
What I meant by more so is that Mercedes are meant to have the most powerful DRS and coupled with the Merc engine that is pretty potent. Also Schumacher has tended to qualify lower than he should of so when he has not been able to pull off one of his awesome starts then DRS has been helpful. But all drivers have used DRS to overtake and have all been overtaken by DRS. Also in Canada the overtake on him were made in dry conditions, not extreme rain, otherwise they would not of been able to use DRS. Talking about the Canada passes as well, as good as Schumacher was driving both Button and Webber are very good overtakers and were driving faster cars so even without DRS they would of passed Schumacher I expect. I do hope they get rid of DRS though, it rarely adds anything positive and usually ruins things. The amount of time Rosberg got passed really easily by DRS at Turkey was just ludicrous and looked a complete farce. I think KERS and the Pirelli tyres provide enough overtaking and they do it much less artificially.
Wasn't the Merc DRS one of the best on the grid, allowing them to run more wing and still be competitive in the straights? If so then a mrec with no DRS would have been an even worse car, plus it would have failed much worse in quail where they could use it more.
Mutually I hate DRS. But doesn't the same principle apply with Rosberg. (That the faster cars would have passed him anyway)? I won't be able to reply for ages because I am really busy so we will discuss later mate
True, but it was just a Red Bull and Mclaren that passed Schumacher while all sorts where flying passed Rosberg; Red Bulls, Toro Rossos, Renaults, Mclarens, Saubers, Ferrari pickup trucks, Virgins, HRTs. Ok so that might of been a bit of hyperbole but it did get to an almost comical level as cars were just driving right passed him miles even before the corner.
