WMSC approves COVID-19 tweaks to sporting regulations
The World Motor Sport Council has formally approved changes to this year’s Formula 1 regulations, which have been tweaked to reflect the challenge of operating around COVID-10 restrictions.
With the heavily delayed season due to begin in July 3-5 in Austria, the FIA has been working with promoters to ensure a safe working environment for drivers, teams and circuit personnel at events that will be run for now without spectators.
The changes that will be applied to 2020 are centres largely around the numbers of personnel in one place, how marshals operate and the definition for how the podium ceremonies will take place.
- Ability for the Stewards to operate remotely in exceptional circumstances, should the conditions require it
- Adjustments to team curfew periods because of working conditions under social distancing
- Amendments to the tyre allocation regulations to give greater operational flexibility to the FIA and Pirelli
- Introduction of Team Personnel Limits at the starting grid
- Adjustments to the certain race procedures (start, race resumption, etc.)
- Definition of the Podium Ceremony for Open and Closed Events to cater for COVID-19 restrictions
In addition, tweaks have ben made to the rules for future F1 seasons with ‘adjustments and refinements’ to the new homologated components list, plus more clarification relating to the fuel flow rate.
With the introduction of the next generation technical regulations deferred to 2022, there have also been refinements to the existing 2021 aerodynamic testing sporting regulations, plus two ost-saving measures: limitations in the number of software versions a team can use over a season, and a limitation in the number of fuel formulations and engine oil specifications that can be approved in a year.
