Formula 1 Racing

FIA tweaks 2022 F1 technical rules and sets target for deal on 2026 power unit · RaceFans

Honda RA619H power unit, 2019

The FIA has approved a series of changes to Formula 1’s sporting and technical rules at a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council today.

Among the changes are revisions to the power unit rules permitting teams to make temporary repairs when needed, which may allow them to avoid fitting replacement parts on some occasions. Teams will also be permitted to replace power units with newer specification parts under parc ferme conditions between qualifying and the race.

Another rules change has been made following a series of occasions on which teams nearly fell foul of maximum fuel temperature regulations. Teams will now be permitted to chill their fuel to 20C at races where particularly warm ambient temperatures are observed.

Two deflection tests applied to the rear wings have been altered. The beam wing was previously permitted to deflect by no more than 5mm when a 60N load was applied to it within a specific area. It must now deflect by no more than 3mm when a 150N load is applied to its trailing edge.

The rear wing mainplane trailing edge will still be subjected to a 200N load for testing, and may now deflect by no more than 3mm along the line the load is applied on, rather than by 2mm vertically as before.

Revisions have also been made to the restrictions on car limitations during the tyre tests teams are conducting for Pirelli this year. A new clause in the rules states: “No test parts, test software, component changes or set-up changes will be permitted which give any sort of information to the competitor that is unrelated to the tyre test.

“Mechanical set-up changes, driver control changes, software and component changes are only permitted if they are necessary for the correct evaluation of the tyres or to complete the tyre test,” it adds. Ferrari was found to have used two different, but legal, floor specifications at a tyre test earlier this year.

The FIA also announced it intends to finalise the 2026 power unit regulations ahead of the next World Motor Sport Council meeting. While this will take place in February, RaceFans understands an agreement is expected well before then, potentially within the coming weeks.

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