New Rules For Formula 1 2008

Every new formula 1 season brings changes and this year is going to be no different. The major changes include a ban on traction control and the scrapping of qualifying’s fuel burn phase.

Drivers had to make their engines last two races before changing them in 2007 and 2008 remains the same. If drivers have to change their engines after just one race then they will still be penalized. However under a new rule they will be able to use a ‘engine change wildcard’ once during the season with no penalty.

In a further effort to cut costs and make things equal changes have been made to the regulations of gearbox changes. The FIA have now said gearboxes must last four races in a row. Every gearbox change that does not conform to this rule will result in a driver losing 5 grid places. However if a driver fails to finish a race no penalty will be incurred

In a very slight tweak to the familiar knockout qualifying format, the duration of Q1 has been increased from 15 to 20 minutes, while that of Q3 has been cut from 15 to 10. Q2 remains 15-minutes long. Furthermore, cars participating in Q3 will no longer get back the fuel used in that session - they must now start the race with whatever fuel was left in the car at the end of qualifying, thus eliminating the need for the infamous ‘fuel-burning’ phase at the start of Q3.

One of the slightly more visible differences to the cars this season will be an increase in the height of the cockpit padding - and hence the cockpit sides - on either side of the driver’s helmet, a change that has been implemented to further increase head protection in the event of an impact.

As part of moves to make Formula One racing ever more environmentally friendly, the FIA has introduced a new rule governing fuel. From 2008, at least 5.75 percent of all fuel must contain biomatter and, as a result, all cars must be designed to be biofuel compliant.

Source: Formula 1.com