Changes for 2015. Official announcement

[Mark]

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2014/12/16713.html

[Warriwa]

Actually, I'm quite happy with a lot of these changes. Somebody with the ability to reason has joined the panel.

[Mark]

One interesting one is the 18 years minimum age. And a requirement to hold a driving licence.

[steveaki13]

Glad to see the double points being dropped.

The penalties system still seems very complex in terms of pens/time

Good news that unlapping cars will not have to catch the pack, however IMO i would still make them stay a lap down.

[Doc Austin]

You can bet the new virtual safety car will throw up a few surprises. Somebody will figure out how to cheat it. Should be good fun to watch.

[airshifter]

I think they are good changes except for the below:

"The procedure for lapped cars under safety cars has also been modified: while lapped cars will be allowed to pass the safety car and unlap themselves, the safety car will no longer have to wait until they have rejoined the back of the grid."

By doing this, the race leaders might have to pass again after the safety car. Being that the safety car already bunches up the pack, it's going to make for some interesting laps after restarts. I'd prefer they just leave lapped traffic where they fall. If the leaders already had to pass them, why shouldn't everyone else?

[steveaki13]

I'd prefer they just leave lapped traffic where they fall. If the leaders already had to pass them, why shouldn't everyone else?

This

[AndyL]

I'd prefer they just leave lapped traffic where they fall. If the leaders already had to pass them, why shouldn't everyone else?

I cannot understand how the FIA has consistently failed to see this. There was that one Singapore Grand Prix where a few "fans" whined because a couple of backmarkers got in the way of a safety car-engineered grandstand finish. The FIA should have ignored them and simply explained that the safety car is only for safety, not for resetting the race if it seems to be getting a bit boring.

[Doc Austin]

If the safety cars picks up anyone but the leader, the entire race is thrown into shambles. Once they get the virtual safety car system perfected, it will be a much better way.

[anfield5]

The changes seem fine and dandy, apart from the safety car fiasco. As already mentioned by others lapped cars should stay in the queue where they are - why should the leader be penalised after he has done the work to pass during the race?
I would also have liked to have seen the requirement to use both available tyre types removed. If a driver want to use the hard(er) tyres and run without a tyre stop, then so be it.

[Mark]

What's wrong with just picking up the leader and then everyone else stays behind in the order they were. This is how they used to do it and it worked fine.

[anfield5]

What's wrong with just picking up the leader and then everyone else stays behind in the order they were. This is how they used to do it and it worked fine.

It is how it is done in most forms of motor sport and it is the easy and quickest way to get a race restarted. You do get the feeling sometimes that the F1 rule ruiners do things like this just to be different from every other racing series. At least they have dropped the crazy idea of restarting from a stand-still after a safety car.

[Rollo]

One interesting one is the 18 years minimum age. And a requirement to hold a driving licence.

Something to consider: Marco Melandri was 17 years old when he won the 125cc World Championship which would now be Moto3.

[Storm]

thankfully double points went away without we getting an undeserving champion this year due to that rule.

[CNR]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/117799
"Susie Wolff has urged the FIA to reconsider Formula 1's superlicence criteria so that test drivers do not miss out on race seats from 2016.

Although the Williams test driver has completed more than 1000km of running for her team since 2012, she currently will not qualify for a superlicence under new criteria being introduced next year.


Mercedes reserve Pascal Wehrlein, who stepped in for Lewis Hamilton on the opening day of the first Barcelona test, would also not qualify despite having won races in European F3 and DTM and will need to triumph in a major junior championship to have a hope of racing in F1.

"It can't be like that," Wolff told AUTOSPORT about the superlicence situation. "Pascal is in a different place to me, he's an up-and-coming driver. He's a guy that it can't limit the likes of him coming in.
"

[anfield5]

I can see her point. She is in some ways better qualified for a race seat than the likes of Magnussen and Sainz, she has relevant F1 experience, more so than the winners of feeder series, so why should she be prevented from getting a race seat.

[jens]

I have to admit that it is pretty weird that someone like Wehrlein doesn't have a superlicence. He is testing for Mercedes, he is racing well for them in a high-profile series like DTM. He is clearly talented, otherwise a team like Merc would not keep him in their books like that.

I feel the new superlicence system further narrows the ways of getting into F1, making it more like a "club system", like it wasn't difficult enough to get into F1 so far. Now there are only a couple of "right" series you must be in, and high-profile series like DTM are a wrong series. We haven't had a driver coming into F1 from IndyCar for some time now (Bourdais), now other avenues are drying out too. And then think about the competition for GP2/FR3.5 series prime seats. Not all can afford them. And a driver like Wehrlein gets paid to race in DTM, he is a professional.

What should Wehrlein do? He is talented, financed by Mercedes, while he himself is not a pay driver, and he is doing his best to have a good career. But apparently can't get into F1, while countless number of drivers like Chilton, Maldonado, etc, can buy themselves prime GP2 seats, afford many seasons there, get results, and get a superlicence.

[AndyL]

I don't disagree with the general thrust of the new superlicence rules. Young Pascal is only 20, it wouldn't be bad either for him or for F1 if he spent another couple of years in lower formulae and entered F1 at 22 or 23 with some more accomplishments under his belt.
However I completely agree that the new rules have made the path to F1 much too narrow. The points system should be recognising talent in a much wider range of series, and further down each series. I don't see why a driver who's finished second in European F3 shouldn't be eligible for F1 if a team wants to take him.

[anfield5]

I do agree (and stated in earlier threads) that teenagers, no matter how good shouldn't be in F1, and a decent apprenticeship in lower series should be done, but effectively blocking test drivers is the wrong way to go. I guess it is quite rare that a driver like Susie W. will get a test seat with little or no high level single seat experience, so maybe there needs to be some sort of dispensation in a case like this?

[AndyL]

Just to be clear, Susie wasn't complaining about the new rules stopping her becoming a race driver, she was saying they shouldn't be obstructing talented youngsters like Pascal Wehrlein.

[anfield5]

Just to be clear, Susie wasn't complaining about the new rules stopping her becoming a race driver, she was saying they shouldn't be obstructing talented youngsters like Pascal Wehrlein.

I understand that, but her situation could arise with a young driver who has chosen the F1 test option (as Susie has). As I said earlier I do kind of agree with the rules (maybe they are too restrictive now). The 1 in Formula 1 indicates the top level of the sport, so ALL drivers in F1 should be at the top level, firstly to ensure they are able to drive an F1 car and secondly to ensure their race craft is developed enough to give them an opportunity to impress. So I don't really see an issue with youngsters having to prove themselves in GP3, GP3, IRL (please don't get up in arms IRL fans, I am nor neccessarily saying IRL is less than GP3), etc.

I get the feeling that whatever licensing system is used, many people will be unhappy with it.

[Jag_Warrior]

I can see her point. She is in some ways better qualified for a race seat than the likes of Magnussen and Sainz, she has relevant F1 experience, more so than the winners of feeder series, so why should she be prevented from getting a race seat.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but I'd say it's been the case for a very long time that any team would prefer to have a proven winner (from any higher level feeder series) over someone who has just logged testing miles, yet has never shown any ability to win in any form of automobile racing. I have nothing against her. But I think we all know how and why Susie got that testing seat at Williams.

But with that said, whether the FIA is doing this to keep ride buyers and members of the lucky sperm (and wedding ring) club out of the sport or it's just a way to introduce some sort of standard, I don't think now is really the time for it.

[anfield5]

Is it the WInners of the series i.e. one new face per year (which is absurd) or winners from which could be haf a dozen? Either way I do agree there needs to be some restriction on entry into F1, There are/have been too many talent short pay drivers in F1, this makes a mockery of the sport. It would be a bit like Keith from accounts playing for Inter Milan simply because his daddy can afford to pay the club a couple of Million.