The new Formula 1 rules for the 2010 season are banning refueling during races. The cars will now need to cover the 305 kilometres of a race without stopping for fuel.
However, the team will still be allowed to change tires. How this will influence Grand prix racing? Auto123.com asked the question to Claude Rouelle, a former Formula 1 engineer who has also worked in the ChampCar and NASCAR Cup series and who is now the President of OptimumG, a consultancy firm in motorsport engineering.
First of all, we calculated that in 2010 the cars would take the start of a Grand Prix weighting approximately 775 kilos, an increase of 110kg in comparison to last season.
“This really is a major increase in weight,” said Claude Rouelle. “It’s really significant. That extra weight will dramatically increase tire wear. I predict that the lap times during the first 10 laps of the race will be 5 seconds slower than they were in qualifying.”
The extra weight will also dictate tire strategy.
“If a race is 70-lap long, I would not be surprised to see two tire stops,” Rouelle explained.
“We could see a first stint of just 10 laps, a second stint taking us to lap 30, and a last stint of 30 laps taking us to the end of the race.”
Rouelle added “The Options tires will certainly be installed near the end of the race because they are too soft and would overheat and degrade too quickly if they were used early in the race when the cars are very heavy.”
“I think it is a much wiser choice to use them during the last stint of the race when the car is significantly lighter. We could also see some wild strategies such as mounting the Option tires at the start of the race to immediately get rid of them or to pass several cars during the opening laps when the field is bunched up”.
The tire stops will also change radically.
“Up to this year, the duration of the pit stops was dictated by the amount of fuel going inside the car,” Rouelle explained.
“This will no longer be the case. We’ll see tire stops that are amazingly quick, such as in DTM where they change all four tires in just 4 seconds. Everything will be done extremely quickly. The pressure put on the crew members will be higher than ever before. We’ll probably see air guns that are fitted with a sensor than detects the moment the central nut is properly tightened, activating a green light. This light will tell the chief mechanic when all four tires are changed. But in trying to work too quickly, many people will do mistakes, that’s a sure thing,” Rouelle concluded.
photo:WRI2
However, the team will still be allowed to change tires. How this will influence Grand prix racing? Auto123.com asked the question to Claude Rouelle, a former Formula 1 engineer who has also worked in the ChampCar and NASCAR Cup series and who is now the President of OptimumG, a consultancy firm in motorsport engineering.
First of all, we calculated that in 2010 the cars would take the start of a Grand Prix weighting approximately 775 kilos, an increase of 110kg in comparison to last season.
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| In DTM, all four tires are changed in less than 4 seconds. |
“This really is a major increase in weight,” said Claude Rouelle. “It’s really significant. That extra weight will dramatically increase tire wear. I predict that the lap times during the first 10 laps of the race will be 5 seconds slower than they were in qualifying.”
The extra weight will also dictate tire strategy.
“If a race is 70-lap long, I would not be surprised to see two tire stops,” Rouelle explained.
“We could see a first stint of just 10 laps, a second stint taking us to lap 30, and a last stint of 30 laps taking us to the end of the race.”
Rouelle added “The Options tires will certainly be installed near the end of the race because they are too soft and would overheat and degrade too quickly if they were used early in the race when the cars are very heavy.”
“I think it is a much wiser choice to use them during the last stint of the race when the car is significantly lighter. We could also see some wild strategies such as mounting the Option tires at the start of the race to immediately get rid of them or to pass several cars during the opening laps when the field is bunched up”.
The tire stops will also change radically.
“Up to this year, the duration of the pit stops was dictated by the amount of fuel going inside the car,” Rouelle explained.
“This will no longer be the case. We’ll see tire stops that are amazingly quick, such as in DTM where they change all four tires in just 4 seconds. Everything will be done extremely quickly. The pressure put on the crew members will be higher than ever before. We’ll probably see air guns that are fitted with a sensor than detects the moment the central nut is properly tightened, activating a green light. This light will tell the chief mechanic when all four tires are changed. But in trying to work too quickly, many people will do mistakes, that’s a sure thing,” Rouelle concluded.
photo:WRI2