This season, there are major changes implemented for F1 cars. Major changes are aimed at enhancing the F1 race by allowing more overtaking opportunities while at the same time reducing costs.
The most significant changes is to the aerodynamics of the F1 cars, with smaller rear wings and wider front wings which, may be adjusted by the driver, twice per lap. Another major change is the implementation of KERS, the Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems which can give drivers up to an additional 85 horsepower for 6.6 seconds a lap. This is available via a steering-wheel mounted ‘boost button’. Then there is the return to slick tyres, a ban on testing once the season has started, and the requirement that engines have to cover twice the mileage that they were allowed in 2008.
KERS represents largely uncharted territory, while giving F1 a crucial green edge to its activities. While it offers a calculable performance advantage, KERS also presents significant problems with packaging, since KERS will affect a car’s crucial weight distribution. Then there is the issue of deploying KERS, which has an effect on a car’s handling and balance at critical times during each lap. With KERS the problem is exacerbated by the weight of the system, and the fact that it has to be mounted towards the rear of the car, thus complicating weight distribution.
Safety car - The pit lane will now remain open throughout any safety-car period, allowing drivers to refuel without penalty. However, to ensure that drivers are not tempted to speed back to the pit lane, a new software system which employs GPS and the cars’ standard ECU has been introduced. When the safety car is deployed, each driver is given a minimum ‘back to pit’ time based on his position on track. If he arrives in the pit lane before that time he will be penalised.
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