F1 2006 Chat - 8th Mar 2006 12:28am
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Love it or hate it the F1 Season begins again this weekend.
Lots of changes as per norm, here are some of the highlights.
Qualifying
For 2006, the single-lap system used in recent years is
replaced be a new three-part, knockout format, with
multiple cars on track throughout the qualifying hour,
which is split into two 15-minute sessions and a final
20-minute session, with five-minute breaks in between.
Part one: All 22 cars may run laps at any time during the
first 15 minutes of the hour. At the end of the first 15
minutes, the six slowest cars drop out and fill the
final six grid places.
Part two: After a five-minute break, the times will
be reset and the 16 remaining cars then will then run
in a second 15-minute session - again they may complete
as many laps as they want at any time during that period.
At the end of the 15 minutes, the six slowest cars drop
out and fill places 11 to 16 on the grid.
Part three: After another five-minute break, the times
are reset and the final 20-minute session will feature
a shootout between the remaining 10 cars to decide pole
position and the starting order for the top 10 grid places.
Again, these cars may run as many laps as they wish.
In the first two 15-minute sessions, cars may run any fuel
load and drivers knocked out after those sessions may refuel
ahead of the race. However, the top-ten drivers must begin
the final 20-minute session with the fuel load on which
they plan to start the race. They will be weighed before
they leave the pits, and whatever fuel they use in the
20 minutes may be replaced at the end of the session.
If a driver is deemed to have stopped unnecessarily on
the circuit or impeded another driver during the qualifying
session, then his times will be cancelled.
Engines
For 2006, engines are reduced in size from the previous
3-litre V10s to 2.4-litre V8s. The aim is to reduce costs
and improve safety. With similar engine speeds, the change
is expected to cut peak power by around 200bhp, which in
turn is likely to add around three to five seconds to lap
times at most circuits. The FIA may allow some teams to
use 2005-spec V10s if they do not have access to competitive V8.
The FIA will enforce a rev limit on any V10s to ensure
performance is comparable with that of a V8.
Tyres
After a season’s absence, tyre changes during races return
to Formula One in 2006. The thinking behind this is that the
reduced engine size will offset any performance gain.
Drivers also have access to slightly more tyres than in
2005 - seven sets of dry-weather, four sets of wet-weather
and three sets of extreme-weather. Drivers must make a
final choice of dry-weather compound ahead of qualifying.
Weekend schedule
In a slight change to the Grand Prix weekend format,
Saturday morning now features a single, one-hour practice
session, as opposed to two, 45-minute sessions.
It takes place between 1100 and 1200. Qualifying is
an hour later than before, commencing at 1400.
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I dont know why i like the F1 so much as at times it can become boaring
as well as frustrating, but as they say it every year...
This year promises to be the best for a long time.
So if your intrested in F1 who do you tip for the championship?
Team and Driver?
Me i would love Mclaren & Kimi
But there are a few dark horses, as Renault and Alonso are tipped again as winners again.
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