Summarised version of the 2013 season changes

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Here is a summarised version of the 2013 F1 season changes



DRS use


For safety reasons, in 2013 drivers are only able to utilise the Drag Reduction System (DRS) overtaking aid within the designated DRS zones during practice and qualifying. Previously drivers had been free to deploy the system as they pleased in these sessions.






Active double-DRS systems outlawed

In 2012 Mercedes

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Practice and qualifying ban on free use of DRS in 2013

Friday, November 16, 2012

The use of the moveable rear wing innovation, DRS (Drag Reduction System) will be banned in practice and qualifying in 2013, it has emerged.

The ban follows complaints from the drivers themselves, who argued that the innovation - introduced in 2011, to make overtaking easier during races - had also made driving more dangerous.
"The request to Charlie (Whiting) was practically unanimous,"

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New flexi saga questions 'rubber Red Bull' (+Video)

Thursday, November 8, 2012

The seemingly never-ending saga about bendy formula one cars is back in the media spotlight, and as ever championship leader Red Bull is right in the middle.

Multiple videos depicting the front nose of the world champions' 2012 RB8 car have emerged in the wake of last weekend's Abu Dhabi grand prix, showing the extreme tip of the front nose section to be apparently made of some sort of 'rubbery

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New 'Flexi wing' saga emerging in F1 - report

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

A new controversy about flexible front wings is set to emerge, according to Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.



The magazine said McLaren has developed a front wing which moves around the horizontal axis, with Red Bull following suit with a similar idea that appeared in Singapore recently.



The report said the FIA, despite clamping down on past 'flexi wing' sagas by ramping up the

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Pirelli - Technical tyre notes for the 2012 Singapore Grand Prix

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Pirelli’s P Zero Yellow soft tyres and P Zero Red supersoft have been nominated for the Marina Bay circuit in Singapore, the only race of the year that takes place at night. This produces some unusual variables, with the Formula One paddock living on European time (as every session takes place six hours later than it does usually) and ambient and track temperatures that tend to fall, rather

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Preview to the 2012 Singapore Grand Prix by Renault

In contrast to the previous two events on the calendar, the Singapore Grand Prix places an emphasis on low speed driveability and engine response. The 5.073km circuit has a huge 23 turns — more than any other track on the calendar, bar Valencia — as cars pass in and out of the office blocks, luxury hotels and state buildings. The average speed is therefore correspondingly low, with cars

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Mercedes plans major upgrades (Coanda-effect exhaust layout) at Singapore

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Following the Italian Grand Prix, Ferrari, Mercedes and Force India conducted their annual young driver tests at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours (on September 11-13). Making the most of every opportunity, Mercedes had brought their latest upgrade package on the opening day. They tested a heavily revised exhaust layout on the Mercedes F1 W03.

The Brackley-based outfit tried out the

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Mateschitz asks Renault to separate from its alternator supplier

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Sebastian Vettel retired from the 2012 Italian Grand Prix due to alternator failureThe reigning champions have been dogged by a recurring reliability problem in 2012, which cost Sebastian Vettel victory at Valencia and crucial points at Monza. The faulty component, which has also failed in other Renault-powered cars this year including the Lotus of Romain Grosjean (at Valencia) and the Pirelli

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Pirelli - Technical tyre notes for the 2012 Italian Grand Prix

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Monza is popularly known as ‘the temple of speed’, being the fastest circuit on the Formula One calendar, but to everyone at Pirelli it just means ‘home’.The Autodromo Nazionale di Monza is situated just half an hour’s drive from the company’s Milan headquarters in the Royal Villa of Monza Park and having been inaugurated in 1922 it is one of the oldest circuits of Formula One history.The current

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Italian Grand Prix 2012: Engine facts and figures by Renault

The Italian Grand Prix’s home at the Autodromo di Monza isn’t called the Cathedral of Speed for nothing; over three quarters of the 5.793km lap is spent at full throttle and the maximum speed goes over 330kph up to four times per lap. It’s the ultimate test for an engine’s outright performance and reliability and, as a result, one of the toughest events to get right.The circuit is ostensibly a

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Pirelli - Technical tyre notes for the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Following the month-long summer break, Pirelli returns to action with the P Zero Silver hard tyre and P Zero White medium: a combination that has not been raced since the second grand prix of the season in Malaysia.The conditions at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit will be somewhat different however. The 7.004-kilometre lap is the longest of the entire year by some margin, and this is just

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Belgian Grand Prix 2012: Engine facts and figures by Renault

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

The Belgian Grand Prix represents one of the hardest challenges of the year for engines. Over 70% of the 7.004km historic Spa-Francorchamps circuit in the heart of the Belgian Ardennes forest is spent at full throttle, giving the track the second highest power factor of the season after Monza. Outright power and top speed are therefore rewarded significantly more than at other circuits on the

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Mclaren to use 'double DRS'- like system at Spa - Reports (Update)

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

McLaren may also be preparing a 'double DRS'- like system for this weekend's Belgian grand prix.Earlier this month, there were reports suggesting that the British team looked set to follow Mercedes and Lotus' lead in developing an iteration of the straightline speed-boosting concept."It's not like the Lotus one, but we are studying such a system," McLaren's sporting director Sam Michael was

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Will we ever see closed-cockpit in future F1 cars?

Thursday, August 23, 2012

This futuristic and rather cool looking concept rendering shows what Formula One cars could look like in the future. The above image has been sourced from iacoski.com, the creator says he began work on the closed-cockpit concept after Felipe Massa’s freak accident at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix.Turns out it was a prophetic move, too. In response to Massa’s accident the Formula One Technical

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Multi-Motion duct (for 2013 season?): A CFD simulations video by Diego Cano Zuriguel

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Despite the coming 2013 season in which teams will not be able to use systems such as Mercedes W03's Double DRS, many Formula 1 teams continue to work to improve aerodynamic performance of the cars. Subsequently, there is already someone ready to introduce a new and unique system, fully compliant with the 2013 technical regulations, able to exploit the aerodynamic flow improving top speed,

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F1 on holiday, Pirelli "No" to tyre war and Lotus' ‘double DRS’ at Spa

Monday, August 6, 2012

Formula one is officially on holidayA gentleman’s agreement between the 12 competing teams means every factory has closed its doors and sent home its staff for a full 14 day period.“What can you do during this period? Nothing, absolutely nothing,” Autosprint’s Alberto Antonini wrote.McLaren was the first to shut down, closing its doors at Woking on midnight after the Hungarian grand prix. Red

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FIA closes Red Bull 'Engine maps' loophole

Thursday, July 26, 2012

After the 'Floor holes', the illegal brake cooling ducts, the 'Double floor' (which is legal!), defending constructors' champions Red Bull have now been forced to change their engine mapping for this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix.Motor racing's ruling body, the International Motoring Federation (FIA), on Thursday [July 26] confirmed a clarification to the technical regulations that effectively

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Pirelli - Technical tyre notes for the 2012 Hungarian Grand Prix

After two wet weekends in Britain and Germany, Pirelli is expecting a dry and warm weekend at the Hungaroring: the first circuit to be opened behind the former Iron Curtain in 1986. The tight and twisty track is a permanent facility but has some of the characteristics of a street circuit, with a low average speed and very little grip, which gradually evolves as the weekend goes on and more rubber

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Hungarian Grand Prix 2012: Facts and Figures by Renault

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

The Hungarian Grand Prix will be the final event before the F1 fraternity takes its annual summer break. Held at the Hungaroring outside the vibrant Hungarian capital Budapest, it’s a popular event on the calendar, but one that still requires some serious concentration. The twisty 4.381km circuit is often compared to a kart track, with one slow speed corner leading into another in very quick

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Sauber F1 Team's car sliced into half - Pictures

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

When mechanics at the Sauber F1 Team set about slicing a Formula One car down the centre line, they were embarking on a labour of love. The idea – hatched in late 2009 – was the brainchild of Sergio Bonagura, a former car chief for the race team.Mechanics at the Sauber factory created the exhibit over a period of two years, investing a fair amount of their downtime and demonstrating the precision

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