Transition of Regulation and Technology in Formula One Hiromasa TANAKA* ABSTRACT The Formula One regulations are established with consideration of fairness, competition, safety, sustainability, and entertainment value. In order to ensure free technological competition, the technical rules of Formula One, under which constructors are obliged to compete using original vehicles, are essentially free, other than specifying minimum basic items. From the beginning of the 1990s to 2009, despite continuous changes in the regulations to increase vehicle performance control and safety, lap times improved almost every year due to the development of technologies that exceeded regulation stipulations. As a result of these battles, the letter count of the Formula One technical regulations has increased more than three-fold over 19 years. Detailed technological development spanning a broad range of elements and involving the use of computers, in addition to a comprehensive management approach that brings these elements together, are essential to the Formula One of the 2000s. In recent years in particular, Formula One has responded to rapid social change, for example with measures to cut costs in line with worsening global economic conditions, and the development of environmental technologies, as exemplified by responses to global warming, in addition to measures to highlight competition – the essence of Formula One racing – and to increase the spectacular nature of the races. This is a period in which Formula One is reflecting upon the very meaning of its existence. 1. Introduction (1) First era (1964-1968): Raced under the Honda name as a full works team, including engine construction, chassis Teams entered in the Formula One World construction, and team management Championships are basically required to race their own (2) Second era (1983-1992): Supplied works engines as an original vehicles, and are termed “constructors.” Formula engine constructor to chassis constructors including One racing, which commenced in 1950, encompasses Spirit, Williams, Lotus, McLaren, and Tyrell both a driver’s championship, in which drivers compete (3) Third era (2000-2008): to determine who is the world’s fastest, and since 1958 • 2000-2005: Supplied works engines to and conducted a constructor’s championship, in which constructors joint chassis development with the chassis constructor compete to determine which of their vehicles is the British American Racing (BAR); raced as BAR Honda world’s fastest. However, the production of engines • 2006-2008: Raced as Honda Racing F1 Team (HRF1) presents a considerable challenge to any participant other as a full works team, including engine construction, than an automaker or a specialized engine manufacturer chassis construction, and team management that possess specialized technologies. In the case of In parallel with these activities, Honda also supplied engines, Formula One regulations permit acquisition or engines in 2001 and 2002 to Jordan Grand Prix, and purchase from an external engine constructor. Therefore, from 2006 to 2008 to SUPER AGURI F1 TEAM in the naming of teams, the name of the chassis comes (SAF1). before the name of the engine, and the constructors’ title For almost the entire period between Honda’s second is awarded only to the chassis. and third Formula One eras, from 1994-2000, the In the racing world, the term “works” refers to the company supported technical development efforts by fact that a maker itself manufactures the racing cars, MUGEN (now M-TEC), a company that supplied racing engines, and the like, or manages the team. engines as an engine constructor, and was involved in Divided into first, second, and third eras, Honda’s Formula One as part of MUGEN-Honda. Formula One activities were organized as follows: This paper will first discuss the characteristics of the * Automobile R&D Center – 5 – Transition of Regulation and Technology in Formula One Formula One regulations, and will then go on to consider a slight deviation from the narrow scope they define the main changes in Formula One regulations and enables developers to attain a freedom in their technologies employed from the beginning of the 1990s, development just because it is not subject to the the last phase of Honda’s second Formula One era, to regulations. As a result of teams pursuing development 2008, the last year of the company’s third Formula One of this type that attempts to sidestep the regulations, and era. It will also look at the changes in Formula One of the continuing formulation of increasingly detailed regulations and technologies up to 2009, for which regulations in an attempt to control it, the Formula One Honda engaged in vehicle development, but ultimately technical regulations increased in volume from did not compete due to the company’s withdrawal from approximately 40000 letters covering 65 items in 16 Formula One. chapters in 1990 to approximately 86000 letters covering 140 items in 21 chapters in 2000, the first year of 2. Characteristics of Formula One Honda’s third Formula One era. By 2008, the final year Regulations of the company’s third Formula One era, this had risen to approximately 122000 letters covering 157 items in Formula One regulations are based on the FIA 21 chapters. International Sporting Code, which provides shared rules A description of the detailed mechanism of for all motor sports, and incorporate sporting regulations formulation and amendment of Formula One regulations and technical regulations unique to Formula One can be found in another paper(1), but in terms of Formula championship(1). The sections below will discuss the One history, when a regulation has been clearly characteristics of these regulations, with a focus on deficient, the principle has been that the relevant item technical regulations that directly affect technical will only become prohibited following the publication of development for Formula One. a formal codicil and the completion of the amendment procedures, and until that time teams are able to use it 2.1. Basic Principles and Structural Conflicts to their advantage. However, the right to specify Formula One involves competition between vehicles interpretations within a scope in which no modification built from scratch by constructors. To help ensure of the text of the regulations is necessary belongs to the competition, absolute prohibitions and mandatory Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) at any observances have been minimized in the technical time, and the organization issues technical instructions regulations, and constructors are free to approach any called Technical Directives (TD) to all Formula One point not explicitly covered in the regulations as they teams as necessary. Other than this, the FIA also has the choose. For example, there are no rules concerning the authority to permit the Stewards of the Meeting to wheel base, and constructors may employ a wheel base exclude vehicles that are considered dangerous from race of any length. One can associate the “Formula” in events. Objections to a judgment at a race event may be Formula One with the minimum standards in the presented before the International Court of Appeal regulations. (I.C.A.), the final court of appeal for motor sports. This basic concept is actually the antithesis of the concept of production car racing. In production car 2.2. Example of a Conflicting Interpretation racing, a homologated mass production vehicle that has The 2005 regulations specified the following points: satisfied specific requirements regarding the number of First, the regulations defined vehicle weight as the units produced is used as a base, and only modifications weight of the vehicle including the weight of the driver that are specified in the regulations can be made to the in full racing apparel, but did not indicate whether or not vehicle. the fuel was included in this figure. The regulations Formula One racing is a contest of speed, and the further specified that the weight of the vehicle was to performance of the vehicles therefore tends to improve be no less than 605 kg during the qualifying practice year by year. To help ensure that the performance of the session, and no less than 600 kg at all other times during vehicles does not exceed the limits of the capacity of the a race event. Ballasts could be employed to reach the circuit safety facilities such as run-off areas and guard minimum weight, but the regulations specified that a rails, the rules of technical regulations are continuously ballast should be secured in a manner that necessitated enhanced in order to increase the safety of the vehicles the use of tools for its removal, and that it should be themselves and to impose restrictions on vehicle possible to affix seals if deemed necessary. Further, performance. However, in order to take victory in a during the race, no substance may be added to the fierce competition, each team pursues technical vehicle other than fuel and compressed gases. development to the very limits of the regulations. Clear Since 1994, it has been customary in Formula One standards and accurate methods of judgment are to verify the weight of the vehicle with the fuel removed therefore necessary for regulations designed to help in the car inspection following the completion of the enable fair and consistent judgment of the outcomes of race, in order to help stop teams from attaining an this competition. advantage by running under the minimum weight during To this end, the regulations themselves should be the race and bringing the vehicle up to the minimum finely subdivided and highly detailed. However, once weight after the race by adding fuel in the closing stages highly detailed regulations have been formulated, even of the race. However, there was insufficient consensus – 6 – Honda R&D Technical Review 2009 F1 Special (The Third Era Activities) between the FIA and the teams regarding the level to has no intention of arguing with the I.C.A.