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Rules and Regulations

The consensus is that the 2010 season could be one of the most competitive for a number of years, with several former world champions battling for supremacy and no one team looking to have a massive advantage … and then there are the changes in rules and equipment to take into consideration.

In-race refuelling
This has been banned for the first time since 1993 and as a result the capacities of the cars’ tanks have increased from around 80 litres to nearer 250 litres. The additional weight will really be a factor at the start of a race, meaning increased tyre and brake wear. Handling will change significantly throughout the course of the race as the load decreases. Pit stops remain for running repairs and tyre changes, and some are predicting they could be done and dusted in as little as two seconds.

Wheelbases
To accommodate the massive fuel load, cars will be wider and also have a longer wheelbase.

Weight
The minimum for each car has been increased to 620kg (up 15kg).

Tyres
Front tyres have been narrowed from 270mm to 245mm to improve the balance of the grip, but to cope with the extra weight of the cars, Bridgestone will be supplying a harder-compound tyre. Two dry-weather compounds will be made available and a driver must use both in the race unless wet-weather tyres are called for. Each driver will be allowed 11 sets of dry tyres per race weekend, down from 14 in 2009, and three of these sets are for practice only and must be returned before the start of qualifying, regardless of whether they are used or not. Wheel covers, which have been used by the teams since 2006, are also banned for 2010.

Qualifying
With 24 cars rather than last season’s 20, the seven slowest cars in qualifying will drop out after the first 20-minute period (Q1) and these will form positions 18 to 24 on the grid. After the second 15-minute period (Q2) seven more will be eliminated, forming positions 11 to 17 on the grid. The top ten cars will then have a final ten minutes (Q3) to compete for the front of the grid. To add more spice, those competing in Q3 will have to start the grand prix on the same tyres and set-up, so anyone stealing a march with soft tyres in qualifying will have to work with the same set-up when the race starts, albeit with a lot more fuel on board.

Points
The biggest change to the scoring system, with race winners now getting 25 points, second place earning 18, with the next eight drivers being awarded 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and 1 respectively. The idea behind this is to reward cars and drivers further down the field, while the seven-point gap between first and second is aimed at ensuring drivers go for a win-at-all-costs approach.