2017 Formula One season’s technical and regulation changes

For the fans and onlookers, the most evident change to the cars of the 2017 Formula One World Championship may be the higher noise levels compared to the last season. But, taking a harder look at this season’s cars will reveal a lot more; with the changes focused on making them faster overall and quicker at the turns.

In fact, the changes to the 2017 car are the most in the past two decades; and are being called the biggest shake-up of regulations since hybrid turbo power units were first introduced in 2014. A whole host of changes have been made to improve the aerodynamics of the car and offering much more grip on the track. Here is a quick run down of the new rules of 2017:

The nose of the car is 200 mm longer, width is up 150 mm. And the wider (1,800 mm) front wing design now features a backward sweep to reduce the effects of turbulence from the car in front. The overall width of the car is now 2,000 mm, up from 1,800 mm.

The maximum weight of the car is now up 20 kg and set at 722 kg excluding the tyres. The tyres themselves are now 25 per cent wider at 405 mm and 305 mm respectively for the rear and front, compared to 325 mm and 245 mm for the 2016 car. Wheel rim size remains unchanged at 13 inches.

The increase in the tyre-to-track contact area is expected to offer drivers greater grip and enable them to take corners at faster speeds. The tyres themselves will also be constructed out of new, more resilient tyre compounds, which should lead to fewer pit stops and a reduction in the overall race times.

It would also make the 2017 car that much tougher to drive. But, lap times could be shorter by up to 2.5 seconds.

A lot of changes have been made with the idea of increasing the underbody airflow so that downforce is significantly improved and stability as a consequence is bettered.

The floor of the car is wider and larger bargeboards behind the front tyres direct a higher volume of air under the race car. There is also the new larger diffuser which increases the downforce by speeding up under car airflow.

Changes also lead to a return of the shark-fin engine cover, above and behind the driver, which is expected to increase airflow on to the now wider rear wing. The rear wing itself is now positioned 150 mm lower. The change in the aerodynamic performance is expected to offer a further reduction in lap times of up to two seconds. But overtaking manoeuvres are also likely to be tougher due to disturbances caused by the turbulences from the car in front.

The engine or power unit continues to be the same 1.6-litre, turbo V6 hybrid unit, set in a 90-degree angle. The 2017 season’s changes will make them higher revving and more noisy, much to the delight of F1 fans.

Source: F1.com

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