Roll-over grid penalties dropped, Virtual safety car introduced
An unpopular and controversial rule from the 2014 season has been dropped, while 2015 will also see the introduction of the Virtual Safety Car. While the rule changes for 2015 are not as dramatic as some introduced in previous seasons, here are some of the important changes for this season you need to know.
One of the biggest changes will see the number of available power units for each driver drop from five in 2014, to four in 2015. This means that each engine is expected to last five races each. However, unlike in 2014, a power unit change no longer means an automatic penalty, but rather a cumulative penalty, as explained by the regulations:
“For the purposes of this, the power unit will be deemed to comprise six separate elements, the engine (ICE), the motor generator unit-kinetic (MGU-K), the motor generator unit-heat (MGU-H), the energy store (ES), turbocharger (TC) and control electronics (CE). Each driver will therefore be permitted to use five of each of the above six components during a Championship season and any combination of them may be fitted to a car at any one time.
Should a driver use more than five of any one of the elements a grid place penalty will be imposed upon him at the first Event during which each additional element is used. Penalties will be applied according to the following table and will be cumulative :
Replacement of a complete power unit = The driver concerned must start the race from the pit lane.
The first time a 6th of any of the elements is used = Ten grid place penalty.
The first time a 6th of any of the remaining elements is used = Five grid place penalty.
The first time a 7th of any of the elements is used = Ten grid place penalty.
The first time a 7th of any of the remaining elements is used, and so on = Five grid place penalty.â€
Where a driver is unable to take a full grid penalty, due to their qualifying position, the penalty will not roll over into the next Grand Prix. If a driver isn’t able to drop the required number of positions the penalty outlines, the remaining penalty will be applied via a time penalty:
1-5 grid places: five-second time penalty.
6-10 grid places: drive-through penalty.
11-20 grid places: ten-second stop-and-go penalty.
More than 20 grid places: a time penalty.
The Virtual Safety Car, which was trialled throughout the final races of 2014 following Jules Bianchi’s serious accident at Suzuka, has also been formally introduced. This can be used to neutralise a race without having to introduce the safety car itself.
The technical regulations also declare the dropping of double points for the final round of 2015, as well as safety car standing re-starts, a bone of contention when proposed last year. Teams also cannot make changes to their gearbox ratios, something that was permitted once in 2014. Another contentious issue has been addressed: that of the unlapping of cars during a safety car period. While lapped cars may still unlap themselves when permitted under the safety car, there will no longer be a delay while waiting for these cars to catch back up to the pack. The safety car will return to the pits on the lap after all cars have unlapped themselves, regardless of where the unlapped cars are on the circuit.
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