Following an outcry over BAR Honda’s exploitation of a loophole in F1’s two-race engine regulation at Melbourne, the FIA has taken steps to prevent teams from retiring cars unnecessarily.
Following an outcry over BAR Honda’s exploitation of a loophole in F1’s two-race engine regulation at Melbourne, the FIA has taken steps to prevent teams from retiring cars unnecessarily.
The regulations say engines must last for two successive races with any unscheduled changes incurring a 10-place penalty on the starting grid. However, the penalty does not apply to cars that fail to finish the race, and BAR retired their cars towards the end of the Australian Grand Prix to enable Jenson Button and Takuma Sato to have new engines for the Malaysian without penalty.
Ferrari’s Trackside Engine Manager, Mattia Binotto said: “Between one race and the next there is virtually nothing one can do to the engine. The only work permitted is that already allowed under normal parc ferme conditions: various ancilliaries can be changed such as spark plugs and coils and the engine oil. Given that the engine remains closed up for a long period of time, it is important to change it and ensure no old oil is left in the block.”
In a statement yesterday, the FIA said the team of any driver who failed to finish the first of the engine’s two races would have to explain the circumstances to race stewards.
“As a result of what happened on the last lap of the race in Melbourne, a distinction will now be made between failing to finish and choosing not to finish. The former is normally accidental or beyond the control of the driver, while the latter is not,” it said.