FIA announces that some circuits will be modified
F1 News
- GPblog.com
The FIA met today in London to agree to new arrangements for the upcoming Formula 1 season. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and Single-Seater Director Nikolas Tombazis were both present and changes were made regarding tyres, DRS zones, circuits and the budget cap.
The FIA announces that new wet weather tyres will be in circulation from the Imola Grand Prix onwards: "Following successful testing by Pirelli, with the support of teams, Pirelli have arrived at a wet weather tyre which is much more performant than the previous specification – this tyre does not require the use of tyre blankets."
Adjustments to circuits and the budget cap
Also interesting: adjustments have been made to the DRS zones in Bahrain, Jeddah, Melbourne, Baku and Miami. There will be changes to the circuits' detection and activation zones, and a fourth activation zone will be reinstalled in Melbourne. These changes will be made to enhance overtaking or make it more difficult.
The Zandvoort circuit will face a change in the pit lane: the distance between the pit stop positions (i.e. the compartments where the cars stop) will be increased by another metre and a half. The Miami and Baku circuits will be resurfaced and in Saudi Arabia visibility in the corners will be improved. In Qatar, the entire paddock will undergo some changes.
Another important piece of news is that teams will get more spending space. The cost cap will be increased with 1.8 million dollar per race. This is because more races have been added where one cannot go by truck, so everything has to be put on planes more often, which is expensive. With the new regulation, the FIA wants to accommodate the teams.