The FIA has updated the F1 technical and sporting regulations for the 2024 season. Here are all the new features.
The 2024 F1 season hasn’t even started yet, yet it has already entered into full swing. First the announcement of Hamilton at Ferrari, then the Horner case. Then the first controversies about the cars presented by the teams for the F1 2024 season. In all this, the FIA has updated the technical and sporting regulations. So many changes. Let’s see, with the help of our graphics, the main changes in the regulations for the F1 2024 season.
News for the floor, Driver Cooling Scoop confirmed
After the Qatar controversy, the Federation has decided to take action for the new season. So, to avoid new unpleasant situations due to extreme weather conditions the third version of the F1 technical regulations for the 2024 season sees the appearance of a Driver Cooling Scoop. In short, this is an additional air intake located on the upper surface of the front chassis. The solution is very reminiscent of the famous F-Duct system. However, the aim is to bring part of the flow travelling over the car towards the driver and not towards the rear wing.
Here is what the regulation says about it. The air intake must be between XA=100 and XA=525 and must be less than 100 mm from the Y=0 plane. It must also be clearly visible from above when viewed along the Z axis and frontally along the X axis. No material may be removed from the front frame to obtain it. The fourth version of the regulations then updates the maximum distance from the front chassis. It is increased from 15mm to 20mm.
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There are also important changes affecting the bottoms of the cars for the 2024 F1 season. First of all, metal elements and inserts in the outer regions of the Floor Body, Floor Edge Wing and Floor Fences are banned. This means, therefore, all reinforcing elements used in the central body of the bottom, in the external parts and in the venturi inlet regions. However, structural elements are permitted but with specific conditions. Now no Floor Bodywork support bracket may have a mass greater than 0.1 kg. The same applies to Floor Edge Wing supports. In this case, however, several elements are permitted. For this reason, the combined mass of these brackets may not exceed 0.5 kg on each side of the car. Metal components are permitted in order to limit wear, provided that the individual mass does not exceed 0.03 kg.
Updated also the floor checks. Last season’s regulations required that:
- Bodywork may deflect no more than 5mm vertically when a concentrated downward load of 500 N was applied at a position chosen by the competitor (between XR=-450 and XR=-500, and Y= ±450);
- “Bodywork may deflect no more than 20mm vertically when a concentrated load of 500 N was applied at points [XR, Y] [-450, ±600] or [-1300, ±670];
- “The outboard edge of the Floor Bodywork Group may deflect no more than 8mm in Z at any point between XR = -1260 and XR = -350 when a distributed load of [0, 0, –600]N (approximately 60 kg) is applied to each side of the car. The load was applied simultaneously at 6 points distributed along the bottom: [XR, Y] = [-480, 652.2], [-635, 686.3], [-790, 714.4], [-945, 736.7], [-1100, 753.3] and [-1255, 764.2]”.
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Of these, the new version of the technical regulations requires only the last one to be checked, while the first two are ignored. Also introduced are physical stops on the front wing to prevent the flaps from being adjusted beyond the 40mm required by the regulations.
Minor changes for Articles 8.10.5 and 12.6.1. In the first case, instead of talking about biometric gloves, we talk about biometric devices to be used for accident analysis and driver rescue. In the second case, it is no longer necessary to provide additional padding on each side of the cockpit rim forward of XC= -400. Also Contemplated by the FIA is the possibility of a failure for the three rear lights. In crash tests, finally, there is no longer talk of chassis but of survival cell.
Changes to the Sporting Regulations: PU elements return to 4
There are also several changes to the sporting regulations for the F1 2024 season. The first changes concern Article 5, ‘Championship Competitions’. In detail, it states that “If the formation lap is started behind the safety car, the maximum total sprint session time of one and a half hours will commence at the scheduled sprint session start time.” The same applies to the race. “If the formation lap is started behind the safety car, the maximum total race time of three hours will commence at the scheduled race start time.” A new rule for counting race laps is then defined. “If the formation lap is started behind the safety car, the number of laps of the sprint or race session will be reduced by the number of laps completed by the safety car minus one.”
Eliminated ATA (Alternative Tyre Location). The solution whereby Hard tyres were used in Q1, Soft tyres in Q2 and Soft tyres in Q3 will therefore not be offered in the 2024 season. The number of km allowed for filming days will be increased. Now the teams will therefore have 200 km and no longer 100 to film for the sponsors and to check that everything is working properly for the car.
Changes the format for the sprints. The weekend starts on Friday morning with the single free practice session. In the afternoon it is back on track with Shootout qualifying, to define the starting grid for the Sprint Race. Saturday morning is the turn of the Sprint Race. Remaining on Saturday afternoon, as for a normal weekend, the qualifying of the Sunday GP.
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At the request of Pirelli, the number of test days is increased. They are being increased from 35 to 40. Four days, however, will be dedicated to testing wet tyres. The aim is to find a way to reduce spray and thus improve visibility. The tests can take place between the end of the first championship race and 30 December. Among other changes for the 2024 F1 season, the number of sets of intermediates for the weekend is increased to 5, and the number of full wets to 2. From 2024, it will also be possible to use ground effect cars from 2022 for testing (Article 10.2, “Testing of Previous Cars”).
Important changes on the use of the DRS. With the aim of having more overtaking opportunities during the sprint and race, the DRS can be activated by the driver after completing a lap after the start or after a safety car period. The number of power unit elements changes again. Each driver will therefore not be allowed to use more than four engines (ICE), four heat generating units (MGU-H), four turbochargers (TC), two energy accumulators (ES), two electronic control units (EC), four heat generating units (MGU-K) and eight EX (Engine EXhaust System). New are the Parc Fermé rules and (Article 38) the curfew. Teams will have four wild cards to overcome the curfew and work on the cars before the start of FP1.
The rules for CFD simulations also change. In order to avoid the use of simulations for development for the F1 2026 season from 1/12/2023 to 1/1/2025 RCFDs can only be carried out using geometries that comply with the F1 technical regulations from 2021 to 2025. The maximum ceiling for fines is also increased, now set at €1 million. Finally, the procedure for the right to review and inspect cars has been modified. In detail, the deadline for lodging a complaint is increased from 14 days to 96 hours and it will be necessary to pay a ‘deposit’ of 2000€ in the case of a protest and 6000€ in the case of an appeal. In case of a valid claim the fee will be refunded.
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Cover image credits: Scuderia Ferrari on X
