Detailed: F1 2021’s new rules

Changes to the Rules and Regulations for F1 in 2021 are significant when one considers the cars are basically last season’s offerings with limited changes due to the global pandemic.

With just two tokens available, teams were able to use them in any area needing attention, some on power units others on chassis.

The results of such changes will become apparent when the lights go green on Sunday 28^th March 2020.

Aerodynamics

The most dramatic changes for the 2021 season are aerodynamic, with the focus on a 10 percent reduction in downforce. One of the main reasons for this is to limit the increasing load experienced by the tyres.

Pirelli reported the 2020 season produced the highest cornering forces in the history of F1, with this followed by three tyre failures experienced at the British Grand Prix. Despite this reduction Pirelli will also supply strengthened tyres for the 2021 season to further bolster against the loads.

Aerodynamic changes will include:

1. The car’s floor will be reshaped with triangular cutaways at the rear and the overall surface is to be solid. No more slots are permitted as these were used to further increase downforce. Flexibility of the floor will also receive attention as it is possible to use this movement to enhance downforce. The previous regulation stipulated that when measured at a prescribed point with a 500 Nm load, vertical flex would be no more than 10 mm. This is now reduced to a maximum of eight milimetres.
2. The rear brake ducts have been changed. These ducts had winglets on the upper and lower sections both measuring 120 mm in length. This season the lower winglets must be reduced to 80 mm, while the top remains at 120 mm.
3. The car’s rear diffuser  comes in for attention. The so called “fences” which hang down vertically from the diffuser, must be shortened by 50mm which will further reduce the suction under the car resulting in less down-force.
4. A sliding scale for aerodynamic testing has been introduced based on a team’s final position in the 2020 championship and will affect the time permitted for either wind tunnel or Computational Fluid Dynamics (CGD) . The higher a team finished on last season’s championship log the less time is permitted for aerodynamic simulations. The lower ranked finishers will receive more time.

Cost Cap

The first cost cap in F1 certainly will challenge many of the teams and 2021 introduces a maximum expenditure of $145-million. This figure will reduce to $140-million in 2022 and $135-million in 2023. These amounts currently exclude driver’s salaries, and the salaries of the three highest paid employees within the company.

Normal employee benefits such as medical and specialised leave are also excluded from the cost cap. Capital expenditure for teams is permitted within a $45-million budget from 2021 to the end of 2024. Each team will receive an additional $1.2-million per race.

Tyres

A standardised allocation for tyres has been introduced for 2021. Each driver will receive two sets of hard compound tyres, three sets of medium and eight sets of soft compound tyres for every race weekend.

A proviso states that this allocation is provided, “unless otherwise determined by the FIA and with the agreement of the manufacturer (Pirelli)”.

Due to the pandemic an attempt to assist with the logistics of supply, the notification period of tyre compounds that will be available for specific races has been cut, from nine weeks for events in Europe and fifteen weeks for races outside Europe, to just two weeks for any race destination.

Miscellaneous

1. Friday’s practice sessions, FP1 and FP2 will be reduced from 90 minutes to 60 minutes each, while FP3 on Saturday remains at 60 minutes.
2. The FIA has revised its Technical Regulations to permit the use of “green” materials and have approved flax, hemp, linen, cotton and bamboo to become part of F1. Tests so far have proved such materials can be utilised in place of materials such as carbon fibre, but to achieve the same strength the weight of the item currently increases considerably.

1. Dual Axis Steering, as used by Mercedes AMG F1 in 2020 is banned
2. Following the “Pink Mercedes” issue of last season, the teams are only permitted to acquire information on competitor’s designs through the use of photography or normal video recordings at an event or test where such information is available to all competitors. Reverse engineering, 3D capture or scanning is now prohibited. If a competitor appears to have a listed part resembles another, the FIA can request the team demonstrates its entire design process, including any work carried out prior to the regulation coming into force.
3. Minimum weights have been increased for the season. Dry weight for cars rises from 746 kg to 752 kg It is believed this is related to the increase of weight of the reinforced tyres. The power unit weight also increases from 145 kg to 150 kg.

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