The Strategic Group shifts gears

The meeting of the Strategic Group, held yesterday in Great Britain, made it possible to arrive at a series of measures which should change the face of the F1 and this in the more or less long term.

The short term first of all concerns the Belgian Grand Prix next August. From the Belgian event, driving aids for drivers will be greatly reduced, particularly during departures, in order to give control back to the driver. The engine quota will also be modified, granting one more engine per driver in the first year, for any new engine manufacturer involved in F1. The measure will be applied retroactively to Honda for 2015.

Still concerning the famous Power Units, the FIA ​​and the FOM will have to propose measures aimed at the development and cost of the power units of current single-seaters, this including in particular a possible overhaul of the token system, used by engine manufacturers to make modifications to their engine during the season or even a greater allocation of fuel during racing.

The penalty system should also be reviewed. Sound and noise were also on the agenda and the exhausts should be reworked to produce more decibels from 2016. These specific measures will be submitted to the F1 Commission, with the aim of adoption at the next World Council in Mexico City next week.

Tires were also at the center of discussions with a freedom which should be increased in terms of choice of compounds, the terms to be discussed with Pirelli, still for 2016.

Otherwise, the arrival of new regulations in 2017, aiming to produce single-seaters with a more aggressive look, with wider wheels, revised wings, and increased aerodynamic downforce, has been mentioned again and is currently in discussion with the teams.

the weekend format could be modified, with a possible introduction for 2016. All these proposals will have to be ratified by the World Council. Also note that the return of supplies, once envisaged, is not mentioned in the press release, perhaps suggesting a possible abandonment of the measure.