As announced by the international body in December 2008, each team will be allowed to use a maximum 8 engines throughout the new season. This rule was introduced in order to reduce costs inside the sport from as early as 2009. However, the FIA does not specify whether one engine should last at least 3 races or not.
“Each driver may use no more than eight engines during a championship season. Should a driver use more than eight engines he will drop ten places on the starting grid at any event during which an extra engine is used,” states Article 28.4a of the FIA rulebook. Therefore, it says nothing about a driver getting a penalty for switching engines after only 2 races.
“There is still some (confusion), because the regulations were accelerated out, I think some points have to be clarified. One of the points that isn't 100 per cent clear in the regulations is if you use your ninth engine do you get a penalty once, or every time you use the ninth engine? Logically, and it's everyone's belief that you get the penalty once, but it isn't explicitly clear in the regulations at the moment. There are a number of things that need to be clarified,” said Whitmarsh, in an interview for autosport.com.
“Just to be clear, the sporting regulations as published are that the race driver has eight engines and if he can make one last for all the races he can use the other seven on Fridays, but that's an unlikely outcome obviously,” added Whitmarsh.
The FIA had insisted, even before the cost-cutting plan revealed in December, that the 3-race rule for engines will not be dropped in 2009. Should that continue to be the case, it is expected that the international body will make some adjustments to the rulebook in the weeks to come.
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