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| 2002 CART champion Cristiano da Matta will be in Toyota's F1 squad for 2003, his first season in the world's top-rung motorsport series. While he is amazingly talented it's only Toyota's second year, traditionally the worst season for an F1 team. Hopefully the Cologne, Germany based team will beat the odds. (Photo: PlanetF1.com) |
In order to level the playing field pit-to-car telemetry is gone for 2003. Car-to-pit telemetry will be banned from 2004 onward while a universal data logger will become mandatory.
Whatever Mosley's reasoning behind attempting to ban radio communication between team and driver, most likely due to driver safety, his stand has now softened. Instead of going back to the old days of pit-boards the ruling body will allow stand-alone radios that aren't capable of transmitting data. Also, both to regulate and spice up the show, transmissions must be available to FIA officials and broadcasters. A standardized radio is being considered for the future.
Also, after announcing that only two cars will be accepted on race weekends the FIA has amended its ways. Now the 3rd T-car can be used if a primary car is written off. The spare car will have to start from pitlane if the initial car failed prior to the start or if the race stops inside the first two laps.
As reported last week, as soon as Saturday afternoon qualifying is over all cars will be 'impounded' until just prior to the race the next day, but now under steward supervision they can at least remain in the team garage. With authorization teams will also be able to work on their cars.
What was a shocking rules change in the first meeting, due to its especially short notice just 8 weeks before the start of the 2003 season, was the ban of traction control, along with launch control and fully automatic gearboxes. In a bit of a sideways move Mosley offered that if costs rose due to downgrading their technology in time for the 2003 season the FIA would allow their use for all or part of the current season, but that in 2004 they would be completely banned. This latter 'part' of the offer was agreed upon and therefore fully automatic gearboxes, traction and launch control will be banned from the British Grand Prix midseason on. Still, the only way to regulate the removal of these technologies would be to introduce standardized ECUs, each governed by universal software. While we can look forward to some good newsbytes from the powers that be regarding this issue we'll have to wait until the 2005 campaign at least. For now, better sensors will be fitted and software inspection enforced if needed.