The conclusion of the season, like every year, is not synonymous with holidays in the frenetic circus of Formula 1. This week, prominent individuals from the teams and the FIA they will gather in F1 commissions in Bologna. On the Felsinean ground there will be discussions, among other things, of the possibility of change some parts of the regulation related to the replacement of Power Units, and the consequent penalties.
2022: many substitutions, too many penalties
During the 2022 season, engine replacements and the consequent penalties were the story of many race weekends. The limit imposed by the FIA of 3 Power Units, not a little optimistic, he was only complied with by a quarter of the grid. Five motorized riders concluded the twenty-two stages without running into penalties for substitutions Mercedes. The remaining three-quarters of the grid, on the other hand, fell victim to relegations at the start, some on multiple occasions. Between these, there are even those who have doubled the limit of the three engines.
The case of messy grids (see Monza), which do not reflect the result of the qualifications, they confuse fans and insiders, often found themselves decrypting regulatory puzzles in order to draw up the correct starting order for Sunday. The FIA wants to change, and the ideas seem interesting.
Reliability or strategy? The truth lies in the middle
The scenes of burning engines were not lacking. From the brazier of the Sainz F1-75 in Austria, to that of the Alpine at the finish of St. Paul, it is noted that there are not a few pilots thrown to the rear due to unfortunate circumstances. However, reliability is not the only reason for too frequent component replacements. Some technical insiders are right to think that, sometimes, the replacement of the Power Units were dictated by strategic moves. The proof lies in the possibility seen several times to run into penalties in the previous stages on 'engine' tracks, in which the possibility of opening the taps guarantees important cents. The FIA has a solution to this too… let's see the Federation's attractive proposals.
Penalties for stops and zero rotations
To put an end to the problem of messed up grids, the FIA has in mind a 'change of venue' regarding the occasion in which the penalty is served. Instead of being relegated to the grid, in fact, the Federation proposes to do serve the parking penalty, probably extending the pit stop time. To stem the problem of strategic replacements, however, the proposal lies in the withdrawal of used components, in order to prohibit rotations of components between sessions.
The objective of these proposals lies in the limit the use of PU plus, and in not condemning the most unfortunate: in fact, we also talk about less severe penalties for those forced to make replacements after the accident. Last but not least, the proposal to add a more power units, going from three to four, perhaps the right choice in a calendar that looks like a marathon.
SOURCE: Motorsport.com Italy
