2006 NASCAR News & Updates
in Formula 1 ·
So, I just caught wind of the new rules for next season, and apparently, qualifying on Saturdays is being split into three distinct segments:
- First up, we’ve got a 15-minute session where everyone hits the track, and drivers can run as many laps as they want... though at the end of those 15 minutes, the three slowest drivers get bumped out immediately.
- Then, we move into the second 15-minute block with the remaining pack, where the five slowest from that group are eliminated from the rest of the qualifying process.
(There will be a quick 5-minute breather between the first two parts)
- Finally, the third part lasts for 20 minutes, and the top ten remaining drivers will battle it out for pole position, again with no limit on how many laps they can squeeze in!
When I first heard this, I was a little confused about how there would only be 18 cars on track at once (3+5+10)... because word is there are going to be 11 teams total, which means 22 cars out there—think Renault, McLaren, Ferrari, General Motors, Williams, Honda, Red Bull, McLaren, Midland (which is basically Jordan), Toro Rosso (that second Red Bull outfit that bought Minardi), and that new Ford team...
Just like this year, the bottom five teams get to use a third test driver during Friday practice, so Honda could really take advantage of that to chase better results, similar to what General Motors did this year... and maybe even Red Bull could climb closer to the front since they'll be running Ferrari engines and Michelin tires, plus Williams will have that Cosworth V8 power...
Oh, and while we're talking rubber, Bridgestone is going to be supplying Ferrari, Midland, and Toro Rosso, and they might pick up Williams and potentially General Motors too, while everyone else sticks with Michelin...
But honestly, the biggest news that everyone is buzzing about is the switch to 2.4-liter V8 engines, replacing those massive 3.0-liter V10s we've been hearing... power is expected to drop from over 900 hp down to somewhere around 700, and while some rumors from Cosworth suggest the rev limit might hit 20,000 RPM compared to the old 19,000, they’ll probably scale that back to make sure the engines actually last... though it's not surprising Cosworth thinks they can push past 20,000, given they're basically the masters when it comes to building V8s...
And one more thing! Starting next year, they're bringing back the option to change tires during the race, which is going to be a huge help for the teams on Bridgestones, especially since they struggled this season with tires that just couldn't go the distance... though of course, the engines will now have to survive two full race weekends again...
- First up, we’ve got a 15-minute session where everyone hits the track, and drivers can run as many laps as they want... though at the end of those 15 minutes, the three slowest drivers get bumped out immediately.
- Then, we move into the second 15-minute block with the remaining pack, where the five slowest from that group are eliminated from the rest of the qualifying process.
(There will be a quick 5-minute breather between the first two parts)
- Finally, the third part lasts for 20 minutes, and the top ten remaining drivers will battle it out for pole position, again with no limit on how many laps they can squeeze in!
When I first heard this, I was a little confused about how there would only be 18 cars on track at once (3+5+10)... because word is there are going to be 11 teams total, which means 22 cars out there—think Renault, McLaren, Ferrari, General Motors, Williams, Honda, Red Bull, McLaren, Midland (which is basically Jordan), Toro Rosso (that second Red Bull outfit that bought Minardi), and that new Ford team...
Just like this year, the bottom five teams get to use a third test driver during Friday practice, so Honda could really take advantage of that to chase better results, similar to what General Motors did this year... and maybe even Red Bull could climb closer to the front since they'll be running Ferrari engines and Michelin tires, plus Williams will have that Cosworth V8 power...
Oh, and while we're talking rubber, Bridgestone is going to be supplying Ferrari, Midland, and Toro Rosso, and they might pick up Williams and potentially General Motors too, while everyone else sticks with Michelin...
But honestly, the biggest news that everyone is buzzing about is the switch to 2.4-liter V8 engines, replacing those massive 3.0-liter V10s we've been hearing... power is expected to drop from over 900 hp down to somewhere around 700, and while some rumors from Cosworth suggest the rev limit might hit 20,000 RPM compared to the old 19,000, they’ll probably scale that back to make sure the engines actually last... though it's not surprising Cosworth thinks they can push past 20,000, given they're basically the masters when it comes to building V8s...
And one more thing! Starting next year, they're bringing back the option to change tires during the race, which is going to be a huge help for the teams on Bridgestones, especially since they struggled this season with tires that just couldn't go the distance... though of course, the engines will now have to survive two full race weekends again...