2009 Formula 1 Rule Cha Cha Changes

TIRES - Slick tires will return for the first time since they were banned for the 1998 season. Bridgestone will continue to be the sole supplier of tires, and drivers will still have to use both compounds of tire during a race. These compounds are differentiated by a green marking around the sides of the tires, rather than a white marking in a groove as used in 2008. Further, wet tires were renamed as "intermediate" and extreme-weather tires were renamed "wet".

AERO - The aerodynamic regulations have been radically altered for the 2009 season. Front wings will be lower and wider, while rear wings will be much higher and narrower. This makes the 2009 cars strikingly different in appearance from those of previous seasons, and several drivers have expressed concerns that the larger front wings could trigger more accidents; especially at the start of Grands Prix when the cars are racing close to each other. As well as the changes in the dimensions of the wings, bodywork will be much more regulated with many of the additional components seen in previous seasons effectively outlawed (including barge boards, winglets, turning vanes, chimneys, Viking horns and dumbo ears), the diffuser at the rear of the car has been moved back and upwards. Many other minor chassis components have also been standardized. The aim of the new aerodynamic regulations, as well as the reintroduction of slick tires, is to decrease reliance on aerodynamic down force and increase mechanical grip with the aim of making wheel-to-wheel racing easier. For the first time, cars will be allowed to use driver adjustable bodywork, in the form of adjustable flaps in the front wing. The flaps can be adjusted by up to six degrees, limited to only two adjustments per lap. 

KERS - "Kinetic Energy Recovery System". This is a regenerative braking device designed to recover some of the vehicle's kinetic energy, which is normally dissipated as heat during braking. The recovered energy can be stored electrically, in a battery or super capacitor, or mechanically, in a flywheel, for use as a source of additional accelerative power at the driver's discretion by way of a "boost button" on the steering wheel. The regulations limit the additional power to around 82 hp for six seconds a lap. The regulations do not make this compulsory, and due to concerns about both limited performance gains and safety implications many teams are believed to be unlikely to use the new KERS systems for at least the start of the 2009 season.

TESTING BAN - While it was reported in 2008 that the FIA were planning on introducing a budget cap to limit the amount of spending by Formula One teams, the amount was not agreed upon and the budget cap idea was dropped. Instead, costs will be brought down by an almost total ban on in-season testing, a forced reduction in wind tunnel usage, the sharing of more data during race weekends.  

ENGINE  - Each driver will be limited to a maximum of 8 engines throughout the season, in addition to four engines for practice/testing purposes. To aid improvements in reliability, the engines will be detuned from 19,000RPM to 18,000RPM

SAFETY CAR - The rule stating that the pit lane is closed during a Safety Car period will be scrapped in 2009. The rule was introduced in 2007 to avoid people rushing back to the pits to refuel, possibly speeding through a danger zone, but software has been successfully developed to solve this problem.