What’s new in Formula 1 for 2010?

As a new era dawns for Formula One, there are several notable changes to the sporting
and technical regulations which will all contribute to the sport’s new landscape.

Refuelling

Refuelling will be prohibited during the race, a change that will have repercussions throughout the pitlane. Cars have been designed to accommodate larger fuel tanks, while engine manufacturers and fuel suppliers have worked hard to ensure the most economical fuel consumption possible. Drivers, too, will have a role to play, especially in terms of tyre and brake conservation during the race. Pit stops will still be required for tyre changes, placing an even greater onus on the ability of team pit crews to remove and replace tyres in under five seconds.

Car Weight

The minimum weight of a Formula One car with its driver has been increased from 605kg to 620kg, initially introduced to reduce the disadvantages faced by heavier drivers in KERS-supported cars. However, all teams have agreed not to run with KERS in 2010, even if this is not stated explicitly in the 2010 regulations.

Qualifying

There have been further tweaks to the qualifying format in order to accommodate the 24 cars which will take part. The three-stage knockout system remains but there will be seven
cars knocked out after the first round, seven cars in the second round, leaving ten cars to battle it out for pole position in a low-fuel shootout. Although there are no demands for cars to start the race with the same amount of fuel with which they qualify, the top ten drivers on the grid will have to start on the same set of Bridgestone tyres that they qualified with.

Tyres

Front tyre dimensions have been made narrower for the 2010 season to improve the grip balance ratio between front and rear tyres. The front tyres have been reduced from 270mm wide to 245mm. Drivers will also have just 11 sets of tyres available for the Grand Prix weekend, down from 14 sets in 2009.

Wheel Covers

There has been a ban on wheel rim covers which had become a common feature on many Formula One cars throughout 2009.

Points System

Formula One will introduce a new points scoring system for the coming season to accommodate the increased number of cars taking part in races. The familiar 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 system will be replaced with a 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 system that gives a greater proportion of points to top end results, while expanding the number of points-scoring opportunities to all drivers in the top ten.