GREAT BRITAIN: The FIA has announced a groundbreaking revision in Formula 1 regulations, doubling the allowable testing laps during filming events, effective from the upcoming season. This decision comes after persistent appeals from teams who argued for greater flexibility in their practice sessions.
Compared to other sports, F1 drivers and teams have been operating under stringent practice limitations. While simulation time remains unrestricted, track practice has been confined to two promotional events and two demonstration events, in addition to F1-organised testing days.
Teams have frequently voiced their discontent with this timeframe, prompting the FIA’s reconsideration. Constructors will now have the freedom to run for twice the duration during promotional events.
One of the pivotal factors driving this adjustment is the recognition that while wind tunnel testing coupled with simulations yields precise results, certain nuances escape detection. The “porpoising” phenomenon in 2022 serves as a vivid illustration, as it eluded detection during in-house tests.
To enhance the development of cars and address such oversights, the cap on promotional events has been raised from 100km to 200km, equivalent to approximately 40 laps of a standard circuit.
Additional refinements have been introduced concerning component usage and demonstration events. Teams are no longer obliged to notify their competitors of testing, and a new rule dictates that parts employed in testing on older cars must have previously featured in a race weekend.
Advocates for increased testing, including McLaren CEO Zak Brown, assert that limited track time has led to a uniform appearance among cars. Brown added that he would like to see more testing time to develop the current generation of F1 cars.
He argues that since the FIA has implemented the cost cap, they can free up some of the rules and let teams develop the cars more freely since they are all capped by how much they can spend.
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