F1’s governing body met in Spain on Wednesday to rubber-stamp a raft of changes to the 2007 rules.
In Barcelona, the world motor sport council approved a major shake-up to the weekend format, installing three hours of fundamentally Friday ‘testing’.
Only two cars per team will be allowed on the track, but third drivers can still be nominated for Friday, a statement explained. Each driver can use four sets of Bridgestone tyres, and there will be no penalty for an engine failure.
The FIA, however, apparently ruled out the proposed ‘red’ tyre rule, but increased the number of sets each driver can use on Saturday and Sunday to ten. In 2006, each driver could use only seven sets for the entire three-day weekend.
A four-year engine ‘freeze’ – to take effect from 2007 until 2010 – was also green-lighted, as was a shake-up to the safety car rules, allowing lapped cars to pass the leaders and queue at the rear of the pack.
Stewards, meanwhile, were granted the power to impose ‘grid position’ penalties, including a five-place penalty for a gearbox change in 2008, while mandatory cockpit ‘lights’ to underline flag conditions on the circuit will debut in 2007.
GMMF1
DailyF1News.com
