watch out for nick heidfeld i believe the kids got talent. a lot of new rule changes to this year.

Bi-directional telemetry, which enables teams to remotely control systems on the cars, a system that returned to F1 last year and used several times such as at Monaco by McLaren when it needed to redirect oil flow in the engine powering David Coulthard’s car, will be banned.

Radio communication between the team and driver will also be outlawed, placing great importance on pit-board communication between officials and their drivers.

Only two cars will be allowed on race weekends, which means teams cannot take spare cars to events. However, while it was not explained, it is expected those who have signed up for the Friday testing plan will still be able to use their t-cars because the two-hour session before the free practice session on Friday morning is not part of the race weekend, even though it will be run on the host circuit.

Cars will also be placed in parc fermé after the second Saturday afternoon qualifying session and kept there until just before the race. For this period teams will not be able to work on the cars except under strict supervision although the FIA said it would be open to negotiations over releasing cars temporarily from impoundment so teams can run during the half-hour warm-up on Sunday morning.


Drivers will not be able to drive with traction control, launch control or automatic gearboxes from now on. Driver aids will be banned, including traction control, launch control, and fully automatic gearboxes, which have been used by teams since May 2001 when the FIA agreed let them use unrestricted engine electronics having had to back down on its stance on the grounds that its equipment was not able to detect control software within complex lines of programming code.

The FIA said that if teams incurred high costs by switching over in time for the 2003 season it would a allow them to carry on using them for all of or part of the season but that 2004 would see a complete ban. This will more than likely see standardised ECUs brought into the sport, each governed by a universal software programme.

Finally, there will be a provision in the rules for teams to share components other than engines and gearboxes as part of cost-saving initiatives.

These changes, coupled with sporting rules changes such as the new qualifying format, will mean Formula One will be a significantly different sport in 2003 compared to 2002.

The new campaign starts in Melbourne in less than eight weeks