Rule Changes Ahead Of 2018 Formula One Season

Lewis Hamilton is the new spiritual owner of SIlverstone

The new Formula One season is about to get underway and there will be a number of rule changes including a new halo, the reduction from four to three engines per driver and an increase to seven tyre options.

The main difference is the halo with a certain margin for teams to modify their cars to adapt it, but it is the most complicated new element.

In order to compensate for the new halo, the weight of the car can be six kilos more, with a maximum now of 734kg. With the new halo realistically adding up to 14 kilos it means that engineers need to look at other ways to reduce weight.

In terms of aerodynamics, in 2018 the fin which is situated above the engine and provides stability for back of the car, will not be allowed, as is the case for the T-Wing which allowed a better flow of air.

The suspension tried by Red Bull and Ferarri, where the height of the car changed depending on the direction of the car, has been prohibited and the consumption of oil will be monitered closer than normal with only 0.6 litres allowed to be burnt each 100kms.

In an attempt to make each car more reliable and reduce costs, each season drivers will only have three motors available for the 21 races.

The one fewer means that teams can look to make improvements to their cars and that those that best manage them will have best results. Having an engine less could mean that there are more sanctions during 2018 but there will be less confusion for fans over how they affect starting places on the grid. Under the previous system, pilots who changed elements that gave power to the engine, could be penalised with multiple penalties on the grid and sometimes beyond the number of cars participating.

A change has been named in the system for restarts following a red flag and without a security car. Now it will be like the first lap, the only difference for those drivers that don’t have new tyres and need to go off with their old ones lacking grip, or if they have new typres but not warm enough.

Like in 2017, the official tyre supplier, Pirelli, will provide three types of dry tyre for teams, and it means that overall they will have seven tyres.

The new Formula One season starts March 23-25 with Testing commencing on Friday afternoon. All races will be live on Supersports 7 HD