New measures intended to prevent F1 teams using engine “quali modes” will not take effect at the next round of the championship as originally planned, RaceFans has learned.
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The FIA notified teams last week that from the Belgian Grand Prix they would be required to use the same engine modes in qualifying and in the race. That implementation is now understood to have been postponed by one week and will instead come into force at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
The restriction will be enforced via a technical directive. Sources say the delay gives teams the time needed to complete engine dynamometer testing and other preparations required to comply with the new measure.
The rule change targets so-called “quali modes” — engine settings that boost a power unit’s output for short bursts. The FIA is concerned teams are increasingly accepting reduced reliability in exchange for higher peak performance by using these modes.
Under F1 regulations, performance-related upgrades are tightly controlled. Appendix four of the sporting regulations does, however, permit manufacturers to “apply to the FIA” to alter power units for the purpose of improving reliability.
The FIA suspects some of those reliability-related modification requests stem from engines being run beyond their normal parameters when quali modes are used. In other words, requests framed as reliability fixes may indirectly enable additional performance.
In its letter to teams the governing body flagged two further concerns about the proliferation of quali modes.
First, the increasing complexity of engine modes makes it difficult to verify compliance with technical regulations. The sophisticated hardware and software and the growing number of distinct modes require large volumes of data to be reviewed to perform meaningful checks.
Second, the frequent changes to engine settings that teams send to drivers over the radio have become a concern. The FIA believes these adjustments are central to managing the performance versus reliability trade-off, and because they are team-directed and leave drivers little real control, they could breach article 27.1 of the Sporting Regulations, which requires drivers to drive “alone and unaided”.
At a Power Unit Working Group meeting on Monday, representatives of two engine manufacturers reportedly voiced opposition to the changes. Attendees also discussed whether a further delay — potentially until later in the season or into next year — might be necessary.
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