21 Jan:
Following two meetings with the teams' directors, the FIA's Technical
Working Group have softened the new rules announced on the 15th of January.
Among the major changes, radio communication will not be banned but
restricted. Car to pit telemetry will remain this season and the spare car
will be allowed if the race car is damaged beyond repair. The Technical
Working Group also announced that Traction Control and fully automatic
gearboxes will be banned from the 2003 British Grand Prix onwards. The
proposed standard ECU will not be necessary as new technology and extra
sensors will ensure that Traction Control isn't used. The FIA release read:
Since its meeting with the Formula One team
principals on 15 January, the FIA has held two meetings with the teams’
technical directors. Today, at the second of these meetings, independent
electronics experts and the teams’ own electronics specialists were present.
After discussion of the financial and other effects of the measures announced
on 15 January, the FIA informed the teams it intended to implement these
measures as follows:
pit to car telemetry - eliminated with
immediate effect;
car to pit telemetry - eliminated from 2004
and a standard data logger introduced at the same time (immediate
implementation would not save money because the limiting factor is the
data acquisition system. This cannot be eliminated from a car in the short
term);
radio communication between team and driver
to be allowed provided
the system is stand-alone and cannot
transmit other data and
the communications are open and
accessible to the FIA and broadcasters.
The possibility of a standard system accessible to the public at a Grand
Prix is being explored;
a third car will only be used if a race car
is damaged beyond repair. If a race car fails just before the start, any
spare car will start from the pit lane, as will a spare car used following
a race stoppage in the first two laps;
cars will be held under parc fermé
conditions between qualifying and the race, but can be kept in a team’s
garage under supervision. Any work other than a very restricted list will
require special authorisation;
traction control and automatic gearboxes
will no longer be allowed from half way through the season - ie from the
2003 British Grand Prix;
launch control will end at the same time
provided the teams can all operate their current clutches manually;
following today’s meeting the FIA is
satisfied that the absence of traction control, launch control and fully
automatic gearboxes can be proved using a combination of new technology
and extra (FIA) sensors. Software inspection remains available to the FIA
as a back-up if needed. It will therefore not be necessary to introduce a
standard ECU in 2004.
Other items remain as in the press release of
15 January 2003.
15 Jan:
Following a failure by the teams to agree on any cost cutting measure, the
FIA decided to introduce new measures without their agreement. The
measures include the elimination of two-way telemetry, radio communication and
the use of the spare car. Traction control, launch control and automatic
gearboxes will all be eliminated at most by 2004. The FIA also outlined
further plans for the following seasons. The FIA release read:
Despite the disappearance of two Formula One teams in the
past twelve months, nothing has been done to save money. Last October, the
Formula One teams rejected all the FIA’s cost-saving proposals. The teams
themselves have had several meetings, but produced nothing.
The FIA therefore invited the teams to a meeting at Heathrow
Airport today and informed them that in order to reduce costs and improve the
racing it will rigorously apply existing rules from the start of the coming
season, in order to
eliminate pit to car telemetry;
eliminate car to pit telemetry;
eliminate all radio communication between team and
driver;
allow only two cars per team (ie no spare car);
place cars in parc fermé between final qualifying and
the race (teams will be unable to work on them, except under strict
supervision);
eliminate traction control, launch control and fully
automatic gearboxes (possible derogation for all or part of 2003 to be
followed by absolute enforcement in 2004, if necessary by means of
standard electronic control units);
and that the FIA will also
allow teams to use common components;
and that it intends to introduce sporting rules for 2004
which will
require the use of a standard braking system;
require the use of a standard rear wing;
require the use of long-life components;
ensure that car manufacturers involved in Formula One
supply engines to all competing teams;
and that for 2005 it intends to bring in further sporting
rules to require
engine life to be extended from one to two races;
a further extension to the life of major components;
new penalties for engine or component changes outside
permitted times;
and that for 2006 it intends to bring in a further sporting
rule to require
engine life to be extended to six races;
and that it will seek the agreement of the teams to
introduce a new technical regulation to
eliminate the use of expensive exotic materials in any
part of the car, including the engine.
14
Jan: B.A.R Honda became the second team to launch their 2003
contender. Launched in Barcelona, the BAR Honda 005 is significantly smaller,
lighter, has a lower centre of gravity and is more aerodynamically efficient
than its 004 predecessor. The team is optimistic that the 005 will move them
up the field to compete at the front. Team Principal David Richards said "This will be a challenging
year for B.A.R but we have made a substantial step forward over the winter.
Together with our partners Lucky Strike, Honda and Bridgestone, I am confident
that we will make significant progress towards our long-term target of winning
the World Championship. None of the other teams have been standing still
though, so we will need to stretch ourselves throughout the entire season to
achieve our goal.
With a much improved car, Jacques will now be able to demonstrate his
extraordinary talent, while Jenson, with three seasons under his belt, is well
positioned to challenge the front runners. Together with our third driver,
Takuma Sato, I feel B.A.R now has a driver line-up that is the match of any in
Formula One."
Technical Director Geoff Willis said "We want to compete for the top
three positions in 2003. Our target is to finish every race -- regularly
being in the points and being on the podium as often as we can. We are very
confident it's going to be a substantially better car and a substantially
better package of engine and chassis together. We have set new performance
targets when designing the car for weight reduction, stiffness, aerodynamic
efficiency and engine performance all aimed at helping us to compete with
those at the front of the grid." Honda's F1 project leader Takeo Kiuchi said "In 2003 we want to
start the season competitively. The RA003E is lighter than last year's engine
and the torque curve is improved, too. Our target is to get into a position to
fight for the world title as soon as possible. In short, Honda is committed to
B.A.R, to Formula 1 and to winning."
Jacques Villeneuve said "For the first time we should be
competitive. I've never lost motivation and have always given my maximum but
the past four years have been hard. However looking at the technical figures
and knowing Honda has done some promising work, I believe this car will be a
big leap forward.
I don't think we will be able to fight against Ferrari – unless they make a
worse car and that's unlikely to happen - but the aim is to start fighting
against everybody else." Jenson Button said "We won't know exactly where we are until we've
done a couple of weeks testing on the track but, believe me, it's going to be
a big step forward. The differences between this year's and last year's cars
are huge, so that's very positive.
This car is clearly a big move in the right direction and everyone is
very, very positive about our progress. However the next evolution in 2004 is
going to be even more exciting and it's then that we'll be in a position to
start challenging Ferrari."
9 Jan:
Minardi confirmed today that Dutchman Jos Verstappen will partner Justin
Wilson for the 2003 Formula 1 season. Verstappen last drove in Formula 1 for
the Arrows team in the 2001 season but was replaced at the start of the 2002
season by Heinz Harald Frentzen. Jos Verstappen was delighted to be back and said "I am very
pleased to be back in Formula One and to have signed to drive for Minardi in
2003. Up and down the pit lane, it has always been known that Minardi builds
good cars and is a strong little team that has only been prevented from
achieving its full potential over the years by a lack of sponsorship. I am
really impressed with Paul Stoddart’s plans for the team and by this year’s
technical package, which looks strong to me. I have been around Formula One
long enough, however, to know better than to make extravagant claims about a
team’s competitiveness before a new season begins. All I can say is that I
like what I see at Minardi and I am going to do my best for the team in 2003.
I’m really looking forward to it."
Team boss Paul Stoddart said "This is extremely good news.
The combination of Jos Verstappen and Justin Wilson will, I believe, give
Minardi the strongest driver line-up in its history. The two of them will
provide just the right blend of youth and experience, and combined with an
effective chassis and Cosworth Racing’s powerful CR3 engine, we will
definitely have a much stronger package than in 2002. Until we get to the
first Grand Prix, in Melbourne, it’s impossible to know to what degree the
other teams will have improved over the winter and how we’ll compare with
them. Even so, I’d like to think that Minardi could be the ‘breakthrough
team’ of 2003."
8
Jan:
The Toyota Racing team becomes the first of the teams to launch their 2003
contender at Circuit Paul Ricard in the South of France. Toyota finished 10th
in the Constructors' Championship last season - their debut season - and this
year they are hoping to make a big step forward. Toyota have signed Frenchman
Olivier Panis and Brazilian Cristiano da Matta as their drivers as well as
Brazilian Ricardo Zonta as their test driver. Team Principal Ove Andersson said "I would like to see us
challenging competitively for points on a regular basis in 2003. It is an
ambitious target, but we have to aim high this year because we are no longer
the new kids on the block. It is what everyone expects from Toyota as the
world's third largest car manufacturer and we will do our utmost to achieve
this goal." Chief Designer Gustav Brunner said "We have made gains with this
car in every area. I hope that we have come up with a good compromise between
building a fast car, but also a reliable one. That is the challenge in Formula
1." Olivier Panis said "I have been incredibly impressed with what I
have found at Panasonic Toyota Racing. All the basic ingredients are in place
for the team to make a big jump up the grid in 2003, but for me to comment
further on how much progress we can make, I need to test the new car. Even
then we will have to wait until Melbourne to discover where we are in relation
to our competitors." Cristiano da Matta said "I achieved one dream by winning the CART
championship in 2002. Now I have the fresh challenge of Formula 1. I don't
want to make any predictions just yet, but driving in F1 is fantastic and,
while F1 cars are similar to what I'm used to in the slow-speed corners, they
are much faster in the quick corners."
