Formula 1
F1 set to sign off sprint qualifying rules amid parc ferme concerns
Formula 1's sprint qualifying weekend rules are set to be signed off after a meeting to finalise details took place in Austria on Thursday.
Adam Cooper
Edited: Jul 3, 2021, 3:37 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
The new format – a 100km race on Saturday that determines Sunday's grid – is so different that the FIA sporting regulations have had to be substantially adjusted to incorporate all the changes.
While the key points were agreed some time ago a few details, notably involving the parc ferme regulations, remained under discussion. They were addressed in today's meeting of team managers and key FIA and F1 personnel.
The concern of some teams is that routine jobs that they usually conduct on a Friday night or Saturday lunchtime now have to be brought forwards, because parc ferme will begin before qualifying on Friday afternoon.
One of the main points is clutch shimming, an operation that some teams usually conduct on Friday evening or Saturday morning in essence to give their clutches extra life for the remainder of the weekend.
The worry is that if the job is not exempted from parc ferme regulations those teams will have to reduce their track mileage for the rest of the weekend, which could compromise running in FP2 on Saturday morning. It's understood that Alpine, McLaren, Aston Martin and Alfa Romeo are among the teams affected by the issue.
Other teams have "longer life" clutches that don't need shimming, but homologation rules as well as a waiting list for orders mean that it's not possible to make a switch during the season.
Read Also:
- F1 sprint winner will be officially credited with pole position
- Todt not a fan of sprint qualifying: "I don't think F1 needs it"
- F1 keen to ensure sprint races aren’t “a blur” for fans
It's understood that in today's meeting it was agreed that there will be no routine exemption for clutch shimming.
However, teams can fit new clutches under parc ferme regulations, but only if they can show data that indicates excessive wear. They then have to hand the original clutch to the FIA for examination, in effect to prove that the change was necessary.
Another issue is the underside plank, which teams routinely change before qualifying on Saturday in order to reduce the risk of earning a penalty for excessive wear. That job also cannot currently be conducted after the start of qualifying, which will mean Friday lunchtime on a sprint weekend.
However, the outcome of today's discussion was that they cannot be changed.
Speaking before the meeting, F1 managing director Ross Brawn was adamant that any debate today about such details would not derail the plans for the first sprint weekend at Silverstone.
"The rules are pretty definitive," he said. "I mean, the issue of clutches was mentioned in the early days, but I must say it's been fairly quiet lately. So I was intrigued to see it mentioned again, and I think we will talk about that [on Thursday], but the rules have been well defined.
"And the original agenda was a few little details, like how many sets of wets do we get back to Pirelli? And very, very minor details. So there was nothing fundamental.
"And to be clear, if nothing's agreed [in Thursday's meeting], it still goes ahead. There's a set of rules which have gone through the World Motor Sport Council.
"And any little details can be adjustments to that. But the approval process has happened. So there's nothing gonna stop this now."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Gasly "surprised" F1 clash with Leclerc wasn't investigated
Next article Mercedes explains why it won't ditch 'barn door' F1 rear wing
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Adam Cooper
RB: Tsunoda “mentally on a different level” in 2024
Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
RB: Tsunoda “mentally on a different level” in 2024
Andretti planning F2 and F3 entries to promote US talent to F1 team
Formula 1
Formula 1
Andretti planning F2 and F3 entries to promote US talent to F1 team
Andretti F1 team formally opens new Silverstone facility
Formula 1
Formula 1
Andretti F1 team formally opens new Silverstone facility
Latest news
Robert Kubica announces exit from AF Corse’s privateer Hypercar in WEC
WEC
WEC WEC
Monza
39 min
Robert Kubica announces exit from AF Corse’s privateer Hypercar in WEC
Charles Leclerc penalised for Liam Lawson clash; Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman also punished after F1 Brazilian GP
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
1 h
Charles Leclerc penalised for Liam Lawson clash; Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman also punished after F1 Brazilian GP
Max Verstappen "needs to understand what happened" after "night and day" F1 comeback in Brazilian GP
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
1 h
Max Verstappen "needs to understand what happened" after "night and day" F1 comeback in Brazilian GP
Feature
Discover prime content
How F1’s rules got to be so complex
Formula 1
By Pat Symonds
How F1’s rules got to be so complex
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe