2014 F1 Rules Summary

Hi guys, not sure if we’ve had a chance to debate this in earnest so I’ve plagiarised Sky Sports analysis of the new rules for your perusal. An in depth assessment by Martin Brundle and Tim Goss (McLaren) is summarised below. To read the full assessment, please use the link below. Hopefully the new rules shake things up a bit like they did to end Ferrari’s dominance. It is a long read and hopefully it educates those who have expertise in low downforce Monaco races, dogs on leases, Seb is the greatest ever because he is young and can speak English and also helps them understand what it means to ‘rotate’ a race car.

Enjoy!

Engine
“The normally aspirated 2.4-litre V8 engines used from 2006 until the season just gone will be replaced by 1.6-litre V6s with a single turbocharger and rev. limit reduced from 18,000 rpm to 15,000 rpm. The original intention was for four-cylinder turbo engines limited to 12,000rpm but that plan wilted in the face of opposition, notably from Ferrari."

Fuel
“Fuel will be injected directly into each cylinder and mass flow will be controlled according to a formula which does not allow the rate to exceed 100kg/hour. Furthermore, the amount of fuel cars will start races with comes down from around 150kg to 100kg, meaning an effective increase in efficiency of approximately 33 per cent."

ERS
“This is where the additional power will come from. Cars currently use KERS, of course, and the device will remain. However, heat energy will also be recovered from the exhaust turbine (which spins the turbo). The systems are known as Motor Generator Units (MGU-K and MGU-H respectively) and the cumulative effect will roughly be tenfold: whereas KERS in its current guise has given an 80hp boost for 6.7 seconds per lap, ERS will offer 161bhp for 33 seconds. A maximum of 4MJ of energy can be stored per lap."

Engine + ERS = Power Unit
“This is the term being applied to the combination of hydrocarbons and voltage outlined above, although whether it catches on is another matter. Depending on how good a job Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari do, it is anticipated that overall power will remain in the region of 750bhp. Something that definitely will be heard next year, however, will be the actual sound of an F1 engine in the pitlane. The FIA's original intention had been for a reliance on electrical power only but this has now been put back to 2017.

Only five power units will be allowed next season (eight engines have been permitted) and any use of an additional complete power unit will result in the driver having to start the race from the pitlane. Meanwhile, any changes of individual elements, such as turbo, MGUs or energy store, will result in a ten-place grid penalty. They will therefore need to last at least 4,000km rather than the current 2,000km.

Gearboxes
“Eight-speed gearboxes will replace the current seven while ratios will be fixed for the season (although they can be re-nominated in 2014 only). Gearboxes must also last for six consecutive races, an increase from the current five."

Other notable changes;
• The front wing width will be reduced from 1800mm to 1650mm
• The nose will be lowered from a height of 550mm to 185mm. Also, the 'step' seen for the last couple of seasons will be a thing of the past.
• The chassis height will also be lowered.
• Side-impact structures will be made standard and is being developed by RedBull
• No rear-wing main plane while the wing itself will be slightly flatter -"Then the rear-wing box as we call it, which is the height of the rear wing from top to bottom, has been reduced. Both of them take downforce off the rear of the car."
• A central exhaust exit in a bid to eliminate teams using it to increase downforce which has made Seb so formidable.
• Weight Engine capacity might be reduced but the additional ancillaries will actually push the minimum weight of the car up from 642kg to 690kg.
• Tyres As a consequence of the rule changes, Pirelli Motorsport Director Paul Hembery has promised "very dramatic changes" given that electric motors produce more torque at lower revs. For example, it's been speculated that 2014 cars will be capable of generating wheelspin when changing from fourth to fifth gear. Although the new tyre will have the same dimensions as the current model, the profile will be different while the structure is also being changed to cope with the greater forces unleashed.

Hallelujah!!

Source to full article: http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/22058/8868470/