FIA Imposes New Rules on F1 Team Personnel

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) finally made official their Formula One rulebook for 2011, and the changes made for next season extend to multiple areas of the series, sporting and technical. Additionally, working hours within an F1 team have also been brought under regulation, as the FIA now set a curfew on F1 personnel.

From 2011 onwards, the mechanics in an F1 team will have only a limited time at their disposal to get the car ready for the racing weekend. The new rules have been ratified by the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) last Friday.

“No team personnel who are associated in any way with the operation of the cars are permitted within the confines of the circuit during two six hour periods which commence ten hours before the scheduled start times of P1 and P3,” said the new rulebook on this particular matter.

“However, each team will be permitted four individual exceptions to the above during a Championship season,” it added.

To be more precise, the period of time that can be used by the team mechanics prior to a racing weekend will be from midnight to 6 AM if the first official practice on Friday kick off at 10 AM, or from 1 AM to 7 AM when the Friday action starts off at 11 AM.

Moving away from the hourly schedule imposed to the F1 team personnel, the FIA also confirmed the much-discussed technical changes for 2011, including moveable rear wings, the banning of driver-activated F-ducts and double diffusers, and the 107% percent qualifying rule.