- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
After a 2014 season which saw the championship being fought until the bitter end, the 2015 Formula One season holds much to be optimistic for.
This year will oversee a raft of changes in the regulations including a change of the nose design for all the cars, the scrapping of the double points system and the introduction of the virtual safety car, as well a smattering of other regulations surrounding penalties and homologation.
Nose design
One of the elements at the start of the 2014 season that caused much angst among the Formula One community was the ‘ugly’ appendage-like noses on the front wings.
Mercedes AMG and Ferrari were the only two teams that appeared to have alternate solutions to their 2014 front wings, while the others all featured the oddly shaped nose.
Lotus had its own innovative solution, being the twin tusks where the right tusk was longer than the left, as the right represented the mandatory maximum length the front wing could go.
For 2015, from the images released of the new Williams and Force India so far, the noses look similar to the solution of last year’s Marussia MR03. However the noses are not as prominent.
And for the teams who sported the appendage noses previously, the redesign may prove more complicated than expected, as it will change how the airflow will be directed around the car once it makes its first impact with the new nose.
Nevertheless, aesthetically it appears to be a step in the right direction.
Double points
The controversial double points system which at the end of the 2014 championship had no influence on the final result has been scrapped for the new season.
Throughout the year fans and experts alike moaned about the new ruling to award the top-10 finishers in the final race double points, as it could have possibly unfairly influenced the end result for the championship.
The driver to win the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this year will be awarded the regular 25 points as per every race.
Virtual safety car
In the aftermath of the horrific accident involving Jules Bianchi at the Japanese Grand Prix last year, the FIA undertook a series of trials with a new system known as the virtual safety car.
The FIA confirmed that “It will normally be used when double-waved yellow flags are needed on any section of track and competitors or officials may be in danger, but the circumstances are not such as to warrant use of the Safety Car itself”.
The physical safety car itself will pit once the last lapped car has passed, rather than the current procedure where it has to wait for the lapped cars to catch the rest of the leaders.
There will also be no standing restarts and the incumbent procedure of a rolling restart under the leading car will stay.
Penalties
A full power-unit replacement in 2015 will no longer warrant a pitlane start, rather there will be penalties applied depending on how many components are changed on the power-unit.
As well as that, grid penalties will no longer be carried over to the next race if they aren’t fully served in the race that it was handed down in. Drivers instead will have to serve time penalties to compensate.
Ten second stop/go penalties will be automatically handed for any unsafe release during a pitstop. There will also be three reprimands for each driver through the season.
Power-unit homologation
In recent weeks this topic has been one of great debate, as 2014’s three manufacturers – Mercedes-Benz, Ferrari and Renault – have found a loophole in the regulations to allow them to develop their units past the February 28 deadline, while new supplier Honda cannot.
However after a plea to the sport’s governing body, the FIA have given the same amenity to McLaren and their power-unit supplier Honda.
The power-unit allocation number has also dropped from the five allowed in 2014 to just four in 2015. That number can change however if the calendar exceeds 20 races, however with the Korean Grand Prix being more than likely ruled out, the number of races will stay at 20.
The minimum weight of the cars has also been increased from the lowly 691kg to 702kg, to allow the larger physique drivers have some leeway with their own weight.
Pre-season testing commences on February 1 from the Jerez circuit in Spain. My next preview will weigh in on all the teams and drivers competing in the 2015 championship.
Looking for great odds on racing and sport? Get into the action with PlayUp today. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.