FORUMula1.com - F1 Forum

[darwin dali]

Drivers can use just eight engines during the coming season. It was previously understood that, as part of the new cost-cutting measures for this year, the original one-engine per two races rule had simply been extended to include a third race per single 2.4 litre V8 unit. This is not necessarily the case.

The rules state: 'Each driver may use no more than eight engines during a championship season. Should a driver use more than eight engines he will drop ten places on the starting grid at any event during which an additional engine is used.'

Therefore unlike in 2008 this year engines do not need to be used consecutively, meaning that drivers can avoid the risk of using the same engine at arduous power-circuits such as Spa Francorchamps and Monza.

Also crucially, penalties for 'unscheduled engine changes' will not be allocated until a driver has completely exhausted his season's supply of eight power plants.

It means that a driver could theoretically use one engine in qualifying and another for the race, without attracting a penalty.

However, race retirement aside, a single gearbox must be used in four consecutive events.

Discuss

[texasmr2]

I say that is damn good new's to my ear's!

[Gaz]

Should make engine failure less likely if planned correctly.

that or we see a series of engine failures around at the end of of the season.

[bud]

whats a strategery?

[darwin dali]

whats a strategery?

Check out Saturday Night Live - google it!

[McLaren Fan]

strategery

I like the idea. It's good to see more challenges like this being placed on the teams.

[Gert]

Surely everytime a rule changes the costs go up?

[bud]

Surely everytime a rule changes the costs go up?

they need to stop tinkering with the rules and regs to stop costs.

[andydumi]

I say that is damn good new's to my ear's!

People have asked for this for a while. It makes much more sense than dictating when to change.

[KyrosV]

Thats better!

So I guess they can use 1 engine for every race but repair and rotate?

[EwanM]

Thats better!

So I guess they can use 1 engine for every race but repair and rotate?

They won't be able to repair it. If one of them fails then they have to write it off. Well i'd think so anyways?

[bud]

whats a strategery?

Check out Saturday Night Live - google it!

i take it, its a play on George W?

[texasmr2]

whats a strategery?

Check out Saturday Night Live - google it!

i take it, its a play on George W?

[McLaren Fan]

From autosport.com:

Whitmarsh: Engine rules still unclear

By Jonathan Noble and Edd Straw Saturday, January 17th 2009, 10:18 GMT

McLaren Formula One CEO Martin Whitmarsh says teams are still seeking final clarification over the new engine rules for 2009, amid minor confusion about how the new power unit regulations are going to work.

The FIA announced in December as part of a new raft of cost-cutting measures that teams would be limited to a maximum of eight engines per season - although it explicitly stated that a previous agreement for power units to last three races would still remain in force.

However, the new F1 sporting regulations published this week suggest that the three-race requirement has been dropped.

Article 28.4a states: "Each driver may use no more than eight engines during a championship season. Should a driver use more than eight engines he will drop ten places on the starting grid at any event during which an extra engine is used."

Whitmarsh has confirmed that his team understand the three-race requirement has now gone, so engines do not have to be used consecutively, but he is not clear on how penalties are applied once teams have used up their eight engines.

Furthermore, the rules do not appear to state what happens if teams use replacement drivers over the course of the campaign.

Speaking to autosport.com about the engine rules situation, Whitmarsh said: "There is still some (confusion), because the regulations were accelerated out, I think some points have to be clarified.

"One of the points that isn't 100 per cent clear in the regulations is if you use your ninth engine do you get a penalty once, or every time you use the ninth engine? Logically, and it's everyone's belief that you get the penalty once, but it isn't explicitly clear in the regulations at the moment. There are a number of things that need to be clarified."

Whitmarsh said he was sure, however, that the only stipulation on teams was for them to use the eight engines - and it was up to them how they were rolled out.

"The race drivers have eight engines. It has changed also in that the regulations previously that limited engine life, or controlled engine life, were for Saturday and Sunday. The eight engines (rule) is for the race event and that spans Friday as well.

"So on the one hand, you've got the dilemma of severely limited testing, limited to zero between the first and last race, and the desire to conserve the eight engines to have as much of their life and performance potential available for the races and yet still you want to test on Friday.

"That's quite an interesting challenge, and that's life isn't it? You have a finite resource in most things in life and you have to use them to best effect, Just to be clear, the sporting regulations as published are that the race driver has eight engines and if he can make one last for all the races he can use the other seven on Fridays, but that's an unlikely outcome obviously."

He added: "You still have parc ferme so if it goes bang on a Friday or a Saturday morning, provided you are still within your eight engines you are not penalised. Once you start qualifying you come under not the engine limitation but parc ferme, and under parc ferme regulations if you change an engine you will go to the back of the grid."

[FerrariFan63]

Driver A is leading the championship, with driver B falling behind. It starts getting close to driver A having an unassailable lead. Driver B starts using a new engine every race.

Team C is a minor team, and has optimised their car for one particular racetrack, hoping to get a result there. New engines for both qualifying and race at that track.

Team D chooses a four race stint to use the same engine, to save more engines for lter.

I'm sure there's more.