T-wings and the "Halo" system discussed at the F1 Strategy Group meeting in ParisBy: S. Harding, Xiro Xone News April 26, 2017 Updated: 2:43 AMAs many prepare for this weekend's Russian Grand Prix the F1 Strategy Group met in Paris Tuesday, to discuss changes and adjustments to the sporting and technical regulations as they look ahead to 2018.
Those in attendance were FIA President Jean Todt along with Chase Carey who attended the meeting for the first time since taking his role as the new CEO of Formula One. The points discussed below will be sent off to the World Motor Sport Council to be approved. -A number of more integrated solutions for additional frontal protection have been studied, and the decision has been taken to give priority to the transparent ‘shield’ family of systems. The FIA aims to carry out track tests of this system during this season in preparation for implementation in 2018 -Changes in the regulation boxes around the engine cover have been made so that designs incorporating the ‘t-wing’ and ‘shark fin’ will be strictly limited -Measures will be taken to ensure that oil will not be used as fuel. In addition, only one specification of oil may be used for any given power unit during an event -Pirelli will be allowed to develop 2018 wet weather tire compounds using previous specifications of cars and wheel dimensions -In the event of a red flag period during a race, the race will be resumed from a standing start -Driver names and numbers Information was given to the teams that, from Barcelona (12-14 May 2017) onwards, the sporting regulations will be strictly enforced to ensure that visibility of drivers’ names and numbers on the cars will be clearer. The much talked about "Halo" system took heavy criticism after multiple rounds of testing with various teams last year. Since incidents such as Felipe Massa receiving a severe head injury after being struck by a suspension spring in 2009 and the death of Jules Bianchi in 2015 the FIA have been exploring solutions to better protect the driver's head. The F1 Strategy Group, which is comprised of the top teams, have said they will also be inviting non-members to meetings as observers as the group pushes for more transparency in the sport. |