Major change in engine rules

Tamusz · PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 4:46 pm

F1Live.com wrote:

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.

JB-F1 · PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 4:58 pm

That is very interesting. No more ridiculous engine penalties unless you go over the limit, which isn't even 3 races - with 17 races, it would be only just over an engine for every 2 races, same as last year. Plus the rev limit is lower this year

amq55 · PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 5:34 pm

So imagine if someone has the bad luck to blow out 8 engines in the 1st 8 races of the season. According to the new rules the driver has to drop 10 places whenever a new engine after the 8th is used. So, if an engine manages to last about 2 races, it means the driver is pretty much doomed to last place start line position.

Those things better be tough.

Gabriel · PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 5:52 pm

I can see some teams using 'old' engines for some qualifying sessions and keeping the newer ones for the races.

noikeee · PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 6:04 pm

Seems a pretty good rule to me. Allows more flexibility and cuts costs the same way. I like it more than the previous rule.

RtN · PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 8:12 pm

amq55 wrote:

So imagine if someone has the bad luck to blow out 8 engines in the 1st 8 races of the season. According to the new rules the driver has to drop 10 places whenever a new engine after the 8th is used. So, if an engine manages to last about 2 races, it means the driver is pretty much doomed to last place start line position.

Those things better be tough.

If a driver has all 8 engines blow up on him in the first 8 races of the year, it won't matter where he qualifies because he obviously won't finish the race with that level of reliability.

Every team can get their engine to last 2 races. We know that, because they did that last year. The difference is that for next year two of those engines will have to last for 3 races. Shouldn't be that difficult because the teams'll just run those engines on low-power circuits.

gd49 · PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 8:15 pm

Doesn't this mean drivers will get penalised twice if they suffer engine failures with their 8th+ engine? They don't finish a race and they're 10 places back on the grid for the next race. This wasn't the case last year, where an engine failure in the race didn't carry a penalty into the following race weekend.

The final qualifying session of the year could be a complete joke, with most of the field affected by engine penalties...

Bleu · PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 9:00 pm

I hope that there is somewhere good description which engine they use at which time:

Engine 1: AUS weekend, MAS weekend, CHN Friday practice
Engine 2: CHN Saturday practice, qualifying and race, BRN weekend, ESP Friday practice, Saturday practice and qualifying
Engine 3: ESP race, MON weekend, TUR Friday practice, GBR Friday practice
and so on.

Fllying_Fin · PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 9:44 pm

Could they also do it like this:

Use engine 1 in: Melbourne, Sepang and Monaco
Engine 2: Bahrain, Istanbul and Spa

or has it to be in a certain order of rank?

ryan86 · PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 9:58 pm

I remember Honda in 2005 complaining (truthful or cheating?), that after a long period of inactivity the engines lose performance, so would it be wise to bring out an engine you used in the 3rd race back for the 17th.

And if it read correctly, we'll probably see very few engine penalties. Surely if you're eighth engine turns itself to shrapnel towards the end of the season (and you're fighting for something), you'd rather take an old engine and start 3rd, than take your 9th and start 13th.

JB-F1 · PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 10:00 pm

What I'm wondering is how they're going to police it. Are you going to be allowed to repair the engines?

Tamusz · PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 10:11 pm

Aren't they already allowed to do basic repairs on engines?

Mika Kimi · PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 10:34 pm

Thanks for the article, very interesting news.

One question which now comes up; what does a lower rpm add? It doesn't affect the costs like the 3-race-engine rule does, does it?

-Edit-
At question above, I think that's the case indeed.

Joni · PostPosted: Wed Jan 14, 2009 10:37 pm

Even if 2002 was a boring year. The rules were awesome. Good old days.

mclaren2008 · PostPosted: Thu Jan 15, 2009 5:47 am

Will we see more boring Friday sessions because the drivers are trying to save their engines or due to the lower rev limit the engines will run for a lot longer??

BenAD · PostPosted: Thu Jan 15, 2009 6:14 am

I thought friday practice wasn't to be counted for the engine lifes?

Or is that something for later? Or am I going mad! lol

JJ · PostPosted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:54 am

mclaren2008 wrote:

Will we see more boring Friday sessions because the drivers are trying to save their engines or due to the lower rev limit the engines will run for a lot longer??

Yep. Totally idiotic. First they say, I remember clearly, that they want Friday sessions to be as interesting as possible, suggesting even some mini-qualifying/race. And then, what will they do? They decide not to allow Friday engines anymore, hence practically minimizing the teams' willingness to use their precious engines.
So don't blame if the grandstands are empty and no one is interested in Friday sessions.

Echti · PostPosted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:57 am

JJ wrote:

Yep. Totally idiotic. First they say, I remember clearly, that they want Friday sessions to be as interesting as possible, suggesting even some mini-qualifying/race. And then, what will they do? They decide not to allow Friday engines anymore, hence practically minimizing the teams' willingness to use their precious engines.
So don't blame if the grandstands are empty and no one is interested in Friday sessions.

Well since testing is banned in 2009 they will have to use the Friday to test new components. So I think it will be still interesting.

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Major change in engine rules

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