FIA INSIGHTS – PARC LIFE: HOW THE FIA’S PARC FERMÉ REGULATIONS MAKE SURE THE CAR THAT QUALIFIES IS THE ONE THAT RACES

A French phrase translated immediately as ‘closed park’, F1’s parc fermé guidelines are a set of rules that govern precisely what a staff can and can’t do to its vehicles throughout designated intervals of time forward of a grand prix, ensuring the automobile that has simply competed stays in that situation, and is able to be checked (or protested by a competitor).

“Parc fermé is an idea that exists in an enormous vary of motor sport disciplines, although it might take totally different kinds,” says F1 Technical Delegate Manuel Leal. “In WRC, for instance, or in Rally Raid, it’s a bodily ‘corral’ through which the vehicles are held, however in F1 it’s each a bodily house – you see that on the finish of classes when the vehicles are parked in a chosen space and within the pit lane – and a digital one, in the event you like, the place the vehicles are returned to the groups however solely sure work is allowed to be carried out.. 

“Basically, the principles stop groups from making modifications to their vehicles between Qualifying and the Race,” he provides. “The rules are supposed to make sure a degree enjoying discipline for all groups by limiting their skill to make modifications, and in addition for value causes in order that groups can’t create bespoke vehicles for Qualifying.”

The foundations governing parc fermé are contained inside Article 40 of the F1 Sporting Laws, level two of which specifies that “every automobile shall be deemed to be in parc fermé from the time at which it leaves the pit lane for the primary time in the course of the Qualifying session till the beginning of the race. Any automobile which fails to go away the pit lane in the course of the qualifying session shall be deemed to be in parc fermé on the finish of Q1.”

That covers a regular Race weekend and, as Leal says, Dash weekends have their very own time frames. “From Dash qualifying to the top of the Dash is one interval, leaving the interval between finish of the Dash and the beginning of Qualifying free to the staff to conduct any work, however then as regular from the second the automobile leaves the pit lane in Q1 it’s in parc fermé circumstances.”

So, as soon as in parc fermé, what sort of duties might be undertaken? Leal explains that largely any permitted work is both typical upkeep or security associated and consists of the deglazing of brakes, modifications to the entrance wing flap angle, non-destructive check (NDT) inspections for harm or weak spot, and bodywork parts could also be repaired the place the harm is patched, bonded, or fastened collectively. Sure fluids might be changed, engines might be fired up, modifications for driver consolation and in addition attributable to altering climate circumstances are allowed however all should be fully underneath the watchful eye of scrutineers and FIA technical personnel. 

Any work not listed in Article 40.2 might solely be undertaken with the approval of the Technical Delegate following a written request from a staff. It should be clear that any alternative half is identical in design and related in mass, inertia and performance to the unique. Any components taken off a automobile are additionally retained by the FIA ought to additional checks be wanted. 

Leal explains that monitoring begins with the availability of set-up sheets for every automobile by a staff.

“The groups have to declare a set-up sheet for every automobile earlier than qualifying. That particulars cambers, toes, nook weights and so forth. So, for instance, in the event that they crash and have to put the automobile again collectively, we are going to go down and examine that they’re solely repairing the crash harm and never altering the set-up. We have to see the identical cambers, the identical toe and we are going to wish to do a set-up examine. And if one thing must be changed, say a potentiometer on a suspension has failed, we have to see proof of the failure, and if it’s associated to a crucial efficiency level, corresponding to weight distribution, ballast, suspension set-up, or aero – bar the entrance wing flap – then you should have an FIA particular person checking that it’s the identical.”

In addition to FIA technical employees, who could also be known as to carry out checks, fixed monitoring is carried out by scrutineers, with one being assigned to every automobile in the course of the weekend. 

“We have now that bodily house after a session, the place vehicles are weighed and so forth, and the digital house, when vehicles are returned to the staff,” says Leal. “When that occurs we now have 20 scrutineers monitoring each single operation that’s being achieved to the automobile and writing that down for us to examine later. Additionally, initially of the season groups must submit an inventory of operations they may usually conduct in parc fermé inside the rules, and we approve them or not. Every automobile is totally different so they could say that for them to examine the combustion chamber, they should take away the spark plugs and for eradicating the spark plugs, they should take away one thing else. This record tis given to the scrutineers, to allow them to comply with what’s occurring.” 

Following Qualifying at the very least three vehicles are additionally chosen to bear additional checks and as soon as knowledgeable that their automobile has been chosen, the staff involved can’t take the automobile out of parc fermé till these checks are accomplished.

The presence of the scrutineers isn’t the one assure of vigilance, nevertheless. 

“As well as we now have an overhead digicam above every automobile that’s monitored and recorded,” explains Leal. “Basically, it’s much like the CCTV any safety agency would possibly run. We monitor in actual time, there are folks watching continually, and we will view something that occurs to that automobile.”

All operations carried out by a staff should be accomplished inside two hours of the top of each Qualifying and the Dash after which all vehicles should be coated and prepared for FIA seals to be utilized in an effort to make sure that they continue to be safe till the next day. 

Tamper-proof stickers or seals aren’t simply positioned on the covers, nevertheless. 

“Engines and gearboxes are, in fact, sealed,” says Leal. “However we now have the fitting to use seals to no matter half we want to preserve monitor of. So if there’s something we’re involved about that’s crucial and tough to see stay, even with the cameras, then we are going to add a seal. At the least, it’s gearboxes, energy items, vitality restoration programs, bodywork panels the driving force’s seat, however we will place seals wherever obligatory. I believe over the course of the season we order something as much as 40,000 seals, so that provides a sign of how stringent our checks are.”

The covers are eliminated 5 hours earlier than the scheduled begin of the formation lap for the Race, although all seals stays in place and the vehicles stay underneath parc fermé circumstances till the beginning of the Race.

What occurs within the occasion {that a} staff chooses to interrupt parc fermé guidelines to makes modifications and begin from the pit lane? 

“They’ve three hours post-Qualifying to make requests,” says Leal. “In the event that they resolve that their set-up isn’t efficient, they want to change the spec of the automobile, or they’ve another motive to begin from the pit lane they may declare that. Technical Delegate Jo Bauer makes a report with the components which were changed, within the case of failure or harm, after which one other report of parc fermé Points, which can element what the staff did. All of that is made out there to everybody so there’s full readability.”

As soon as the covers come off the vehicles on Sunday morning the FIA technical staff conduct closing checks to make sure that the vehicles that certified are the identical as these going into the Race. 

“FIA personnel sometimes do set-up and components spec checks on Sunday morning, simply to guarantee that there’s nothing a scrutineer has missed, which to be sincere is uncommon. But it surely’s only a additional degree of vigilance for us to guarantee that groups have caught to the rules, that we now have a degree enjoying discipline and that, except there’s a compelling motive, we go into the Race with vehicles within the situation they certified.”