Formula One 2006: What's new?

By Phil Huff
March 6 2006

The Formula One season is approaching rapidly, with teams already unpacking in Bahrain. Other than the season opening race chaning from Melbourne, what else is new in Formula One 2006?

Out with the old:	3.0 V10's (mostly), along with exotic metals and construction Single lap qualifying BAR, Jordan, Minardi and Sauber Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium Karthikeyan and Pizzonia
In with the new:	2.4 V8's and a restricted V10 Tyre changes BMW-Sauber, Honda Racing F1, Midland and Scuderia Toro Rosso Super Aguri F1 Ide, Rosberg and Speed

The biggest change in F1 this year, and possibly since the end of the turbo era in 1988, sees the much admired V10 engine layout banned, with a V8 design replacing it. Going from a 3.0 litre engine to a 2.4 litre engine gives, roughly, a 20% reduction in power, and that theoretically means lower terminal speeds, slower acceleration and better fuel economy.

Changes going along with that see exotic metals outlawed, and other high tech gadgets such as variable valve timing banned, resulting in a heavier, and arguably simpler engine.

These changes will make it easier for drivers, especially the rookies, to get into respectable lap times but, paradoxically, it will also help the better drivers extract more from the car. With the variable trumpets disappearing, the torque curve will be sharper, the drivability reduced. Should a driver stray off line, or induce too much slip angle, it will take longer to get back up to speed.

Honda's V8 has been performing extremely well in testing. Combined with Jenson Button's renowned smoothness, this should give the Honda Racing F1 team a small advantage. With Honda now supplying a second team, Super Aguri F1, development should improve slightly, too.

In contrast to the rest of the grid, Scuderia Toro Rosso will be able to run a restricted V10 engine. While maximum power may be similar, the V10 will develop more torque, and some teams are unhappy about this. The team are able to do this following their purchase of Minardi, the Italian team managing to secure an exemption to the rule for 2006 on cost grounds. Expect strong performances at circuits such as Monaco, Budapest, and maybe even Montreal.

The reduction in power will bring with it a reduction in downforce levels, as teams try to claw back the lost speed. By reducing the rear wing levels, the engineers can attain similar terminal speeds, although at the expense of outright grip.

This will lead to a more 'pointy' car, the back end likely to step out more frequently, although with traction control still allowed, nobody will notice. The gains (and losses) that can be made here will be most notable at circuits such as Silverstone, Barcelona and Suzuka.

The reduction in power, and rear downforce, also plays into hands of Michelin and Bridgestone. With less work to do, the undersized rear tyres will work more efficiently, carrying out around 55% of the work compared to as much as 63% last year. That, combined with a return to tyre stops, will lead to far softer compounds, helping to claw back some of the speed lost to the reduced engines.

The change in tyre compounds also affects qualifying, as these softer tyres have a narrower performance window - while they'll last 20 laps or so, that one single lap they need to pull out in the rearranged qualifying session, will be harder to find.

Michelin, historically relying more on chemical grip than mechanical grip, should retain an edge, but the longer runs allowed in the new qualifying system will also help overcome Bridgestone's problem of generating enough heat.

Qualifying will now be unrecognisable compared to earlier versions, with a return to multi-car qualifying. Kind of.

The one hour Saturday session has now been split into three segments - two of 15 minutes, and a final 20 minute session. All 22 cars will take to the track in the first session, with the slowest 6 eliminated at the end. These six will line up in 17th to 22nd place on the grid. The remaining 16 cars will all take to the track again, with the slowest six again being eliminated and lining up in 11th to 16th.

These 12 cars will then be allowed to refuel to whatever level they desire, according to their race strategy.

The remaining 10 cars will then go out on track for a third time, on their race level fuel. They'll run for 20 minutes, with their fastest laps deciding the front of the grid. However, these cars will only be allowed to refuel to their declared level before this final session.

Got that? The system will possibly lead to cars in the 'top of the bottom half' perhaps setting faster times than those in the 'bottom of the top half'. It will also certainly lead to those in the 'top of the bottom half' having a significant strategic advantage on those ahead, so expect some fierce midfield battles.

The changes will help those drivers who perhaps struggled a little with the single-lap system from 2005 (hello to David Coulthard and Juan Pablo Montoya) while negating the advantage that the specialists such as Jarno Trulli or Mark Webber have.

Mark Webber is joined at Williams by rookie Nico Rosberg, fresh from winning the GP2 championship with ART. Joining Rosberg are Scott Speed (yes, that's his real name) at Scuderia Toro Rosso, and Yuji Ide at Super Aguri F1.

Speed has been involved in GP2 in the last year, finishing third overall in the F1 supporting series, and also managed to squeeze in six A1GP appearances for Team USA.

Yuji Ide comes from three season in Formula Nippon, a Japanese series (very) roughly equivalent to GP2. Finishing seventh, then third and then finally second, the Japanese driver has secured a drive alongside countryman Takuma Sato in the Japanese Super Aguri F1 squad, powered by Honda engines.

Super Aguri F1 are the first new team to enter Formula One since Toyota in 2002, the same year that Arrows departed the grid. By coincidence, it's an Arrows chassis that the Leafield-based team will be using initially, before they introduce their own chassis early in the European season.

Joining them are four more 'new' teams, namely BMW-Sauber, Honda Racing F1, Midland F1 and Scuderia Toro Rosso. All four have been bought out and rebranded, with some histories more obvious than others. BMW-Sauber have taken over the Sauber team, electing to retain some link with the past by using the name - it's our guess that this will be dropped within a year or two once the team start to succeed.

Midland F1 take over from the much loved Jordan Grand Prix. Alex Schneider spent millions buying the team, and have chosen a radical rebrand, losing the now traditional yellow of the Jordan team, for a more 'modern' black, grey and red. With Toyota support, and a far more focused team than many give them credit for, they could spring a few surprises.

Scuderia Toro Rosso (or Team Bull Red in English) are the junior team of Red Bull Racing, taking over from the infamous Minardi team. Paul Stoddart eventually sold out, letting the Minardi name die out in the process. Red Bull picked up the pieces, and have seemingly handed over their 2005 chassis and V10 engine - although we're assured that the STR01 is in fact an entirely different car - which is sure to be a significant benefit against their less well funded competitors.

Finally, there's Honda Racing F1. What was once Tyrrell became BAR, the catalyst for BAR-Talk.com. With ever increasing Honda support, including a 45% buy out in 2004, there was little doubt that the team would eventually transform into Honda F1, and that's what we've got in 2006.

With massive financial and technical support from Japan, huge investment in facilities in England, and two top line drivers in Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button, that elusive win can't be far away.

F1 2006. We can't wait.