[FAQ] Frequently asked questions to rec.autos.sport.f1.moderated - Part 1 of 2

[Mark Jackson]

This FAQ is posted approximately twice a month. (The subject
should be the same; if you do not want to retrieve it, kill
the subject.) Between postings you can find a reasonably
current copy at
http://www.alumni.caltech.edu/~mjackson/rasf1m.html. For more
information about the operation of this newsgroup see the
rec.autos.sport.f1.moderated website at http://www.rasf1m.net/.

*NOTE* The FAQ has been split into two parts to avoid it being
too long for some people's rules.

This FAQ originated on rec.autos.sport.f1, where it was ably
maintained through mid-2001 by Stephen M Baines. Special thanks
to him, and thanks also to the following people who, amongst
others, have had contributions culled to make the FAQ:

Kim Andrews, Paul B, Sven Baumer, David Betts, Sergiusz Boron,
Alessio Bragadini, Lord Tim Brent, Stênio F. Campos, Simon
"Bumble Bee Boy" Cossar, Andrew Cosstick, Emma Crawley, GD, BF
Dehay, Doug Farrow, Pete Fenelon, Ken Fletcher, Mark J
Frusciante, Tony Gartshore, Alan Gauton, GD, Thomas Gmuer, Lutz
Goerke, Paul Harman, Ian Hill, Mark Jackson, Jak, Alan Jones,
Brian Lawrence, Jeff "Eskimo Joe", Olav K. Malmin, Julie Miles,
Ciro Pabón, Dave Parker, Jon Petersson, Barry Posner, Rob,
Duncan Rollo, Rui Pedro Mendes Salgueiro, Martin Schmidt, Peter
Scoular, Johan V, Mike Whooley, Paul Winalski.

Apologies to anyone whose name was missed - it's not deliberate!

The FAQ may not have answers to everything you need - it is just
a collection of *frequently* asked questions and their answers,
not the answers to everything ;-)

Corrections and additions are especially welcome. I do try to
keep up with the newsgroup, but to make sure of something being
considered for the FAQ mail me at mjac...@alumni.caltech.edu.

The FAQ is divided into several sections.

This introduction (Part 1)
1. Rules, regulations and governing body (Part 1)
2. The teams and cars (Part 1)
3. The drivers (Part 2)
4. The races (Part 2)
5. The circuits (Part 2)
6. Television (Part 2)
7. Sponsors (Part 2)
8. Manufacturers (Part 2)
9. Technical stuff (Part 2)
10. Miscellaneous (Part 2)

1. Rules, Regulations and Governing Body
========================================

Q: Who is the governing body of Formula 1?
A: The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA),
headquartered in Paris (F), whose president is Jean Todt,
recently elected to replace Max Mosley.

In 1904 various national motor clubs organized
the Association Internationale des Automobile Clubs Reconnus
(AIACR) to run international motor sport (reserving control
of national events for themselves). The AIACR first issued
an international sporting calendar and regulations in 1908,
and in 1922 formed a Commission Sportive Internationale (CSI)
to formalize the oversignt of Grand Prix and other forms of
international racing.

The term Formula 1 came into use in 1947, when the AIACR
reorganized itself as the FIA. The World Championship of
Drivers was begun in 1950.

Q: Where can I find the regulations to Formula 1?
A: The FIA's web site has the technical and sporting regulations
(which however do not yet reflect changes made since December
2010); see http://www.fia.com/sport/Regulations/f1regs.html.

Q: What are the main changes for 2011?
A: Article 39.1 of the Sporting Regulations, banning team orders,
has been eliminated. ("Bringing the sport into disrepute" is
still actionable.) Double diffusers and F-ducts are banned.
While adjustable front wings are eliminated, adjustable
rear wings will be permitted - but use will only be enabled
when a car is close behind the car ahead, thus favoring
overtaking. (The details of permitted usage will be tuned during
the year if experience shows they are either too restrictive
or too loose.) Minimum weight of car plus driver is increased to
640 kg in order to make KERS more attractive. (The one-year
agreement among teams not to use KERS was not renewed.) Drivers
will have to set a qualifying time within 107% of the best time
in Q1 in order to compete; exceptions by the stewards will be
permitted. Gearboxes will have to last 5 races (up from 4) and
deflection tests of bodywork relative to the reference plane have
been strengthened. Strictures against blocking maneuvers and
leaving the track surface to gain advantage have been strengthened,
and the stewards given a wider range of penalties to impose.

Early in the season the FIA announced it would restrict practices
teams were using to enhance exhaust gas flow through the diffuser
under closed- and partial-throttle conditions. (This increased
rear downforce under braking and cornering, when it was most
needed; the FIA considered that the various extreme engine mappings
were turning the engine into a moveable aerodynamic device.)
Initially throttle openings when the accelerator was not depressed
were to be limited to 10%, starting at the Spanish GP; various
objections from the teams caused this to be deferred. At Valencia
a rule was imposed preventing engine maps from being changed
between qualifying and the race; at the following race (Britain)
the throttle restriction was applied. However verious exceptions
were permitted (engine manufacturers having shown that there were
reliability reasons for these); this led to further objections and
after the GP the teams and FIA agreed to leave only the Valencia
restriction in place to the end of the season.

Q. Are further changes planned?
A. In 2012 partial biofuel will be introduced, all driver-pit radio
traffic will be made available to broadcasters, and there are
further restrictions on suspension uprights and improvements to
driver protection. It's understood that exhaust pipes will be
required to extend well clear of the diffuser area, thereby
completely eliminating blown diffuser technology.

The teams have agreed to a very limited return to in-season testing,
replacing one of the pre-season sessions with one at Mugello in
early May. The "one move" rule, intended to enable overtaking by
limiting blocking, will be strengthened.

On 20 July 2011 the FIA published new technical regulations for 2014,
featuring:

- V6 1.6 liter engines with direct fuel injection (to 500 bar) and a
single turbo, with fuel flow restricted to no more than 100kg/h
and a 15000 RPM limit.

- Energy recovery permitted from exhaust heat (by coupling a generator
to the turbo shaft) in addition to the present KERS (kinetic) system.
Each recovery system is limited to 2MJ/lap and power from the storage
unit is limited to 4MJ/lap. At least some energy recovery system will
be mandatory as movement in the pit lane will be limited to electrical
power only.

- Reduction of front wing width to 1650mm

- Minimum weight increased to 660kg.

- Operable onboard starters required.
.
- Mandatory 8-speed gearboxes with ratios fixed for the season. A
single in-season adjustment is permitted in 2014 if necessary.

Q: What is the Concorde Agreement?
A: The original Concorde Agreement (so-called because it was
signed at the FIA headquarters on the Place de la Concorde in
Paris) was between the Formula One Constructors Association
(FOCA) and the Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile
(FISA).

FISA, reorganized from the old CSI by Jean-Marie Balestre
after he became its chair, was the arm of the FIA involved in
sanctioning motor sport and had direct sanctioning
responsibility for F1. FOCA was, as its name implies, an
organization representing most of the F1 teams (but not all of
them--Tyrrell and, I think, Ferrari were not FOCA members).
Its president was Bernie Ecclestone, then owner of the Brabham
F1 team.

Through the 1970s the FIA had gradually allowed FOCA to take a
greater hand in the financial, promotional, and organizational
aspects of the F1 Championship. By 1980 FOCA was organizing
the races and the FIA's role was limited to rules-making and
officiating. When Balestre took over as head of the CSI he
set about trying to get control of F1 back from FOCA. FOCA
baulked at some of Balestre's proposed rule changes,
particularly the ones limiting ground effects, and a very ugly
dispute ensued that threatened to split the sport. (One race
was boycotted by the FOCA teams; another, organized by FOCA,
was excluded from that year's Championship.) The sponsors and
manufacturers (engines, tires, fuel) had the last say and
forced both sides to hammer out the Concorde Agreement, which
covers the whole financial and organizational side of F1
racing, rules stability, collection and distribution of
monies, etc.

FISA is no longer, its duties now being performed by the FIA's
World Motor Sports Council (WMSC). FOCA has evolved into
Bernie's complex of companies; see "Who owns F1," below. Since
the original Concorde Agreement there have been several revisions
to it. In recent years the CA has required unanimous consent
from the teams (almost impossible to obtain) or a couple of
years' notice in order to change the regulations.

The three-party version (FIA, Bernie, the F1 teams) signed in 1998
expired at the end of 2007. In mid-January 2005 the FIA, Ferrari,
and Bernie announced the signing of a revised Concorde Agreement,
giving signatory teams a larger share of revenues, effective
2008-2012. (It emerged in May 2009 that Ferrari was also given a
veto over changes in FIA regulations.) Williams also apparently
signed, but the remaining teams did not. At a meeting in late July
2008 with Bernie and CVC's managing partner the teams agreed to form
the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) to work on regulations and
commercial arrangements with the FIA and FOM (see "Who owns F1?").
Negotiations over cost- cutting measures and other provisions were
remarkable for their difficulty - the FOTA teams at one point
announcing a breakaway series - but ultimately a final document,
binding through 2012, was signed by all parties.

Q: Where can I see the Concorde Agreement?
A: You can't. It's secret, although some of its known or
suspected provisions are described in this FAQ.

Q: How much do the teams get for winning races?
A: The FIA isn't supposed to get involved in money, which is
controlled by Bernie and is detailed in the (secret) Concorde
Agreement. Some of the distribution has been based on historical
performance and length of participation in F1, provisions of
particular benefit to Ferrari.

The 2009 Concorde Agreement apparently mandates the payment of
revenues withheld by Bernie during the years no signed agreement was
in place. While the teams' share has been increased from 33% to 50%
the need of CVC for income to pay interest on loans (see next
question) continues to be a sore point; getting a larger share of
revenues is a stated objective of FOTA.

Q: Who owns F1?
A: The FIA owns Formula 1, but has licensed the commercial rights
through 2110 (yes, into the next century) to a complex of companies
effectively controlled by Bernie Ecclestone. The actual structure
is Byzantine; in discussing the original setup /The Economist/
used the words "complex tax-avoidance scheme" and things are no
more straightforward today.

A few years ago Bernie sold 75% of the rights for a very large sum,
while retaining a 25% stake as well as effective control through
arcane directorship arrangements. Due to financial difficulties
ownership of this 75% passed through the hands of German media
companies EM.TV and Kirch and, following the latter's default,
to three creditor banks. The banks were unhappy with the return
on their unwilling investment and lack of the control that usually
comes with 75% ownership; legal actions followed.

In November 2005 Ecclestone and the British private equity firm CVC
Capital Partners agreed to form a new company, Alpha Prema, which
was to reunite the banks' and Ecclestone's holdings, with
Ecclestone continuing as chief executive of the F1 group.
Subsequently the purchase was refinanced with a large loan from the
Royal Bank of Scotland and equity positions taken by other investment
firms; some additional related properties were merged in at the same
time.

In 2011 all F1-related commercial rights (including those held by
Formula One Administration and Formula One Management) were merged
into yet another new company, Formula One World Championship Ltd.
This is owned by SLEC Holdings, which is owned by Alpha Prema UK Ltd.
(partially through Speed Investments Ltd.), which is owned by Alpha
D2 Ltd., which is owned by Delta 3 (UK) Ltd., which is owned by Delta
2 (Lux) Sarl of Luxembourg, which is owned by Alpha Topco Ltd.
(Jersey), which is owned by Delta Topco Ltd. (Jersey). Ownership of
the last is divided among:

* CVC funds (about 63%)
* LBI Group (Lehman Brothers, about 15%)
* Bambino Holdings (Ecclestone family, about 9%)
* Bernie Ecclestone (about 5%)
* JP Morgan Whitefriars (about 3%)
* Churchill Capital (less than 1%)
* assorted managers and financial advisors (about 4%)

It is thought that CVC has been discussing winding up its F1
investment by selling to another interested party. In May 2011
it was reported that Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation and Italian
holding company Exor were looking into forming a consortium that
might put in a bid.

2. The teams and cars
=====================

Q: When was the last time a privateer won a race?
A: The last privateer to win a GP was either Jo Siffert in the Walker
Lotus-Ford at Brands Hatch in 1968, or Jackie Stewart in the
Tyrrell March-Ford in Spain in 1970. (Although Tyrrell bought both
chassis and engine that season some feel that the support he was
receiving from Ford, Elf, and Goodyear place him at least among the
semi-works ranks. It's a judgement call, there being no official
body empowered to bless privateership.)

There has never been a privateer World Champion. Moss came closest
in the Rob Walker-entered Cooper in 1959 when he finished third.
Walker was the first privateer entrant to win a World Championship
Grand Prix with Moss in a Cooper-Climax, in the 1958 Argentine
Grand Prix.

Q: Who owns which team?
A: Ferrari - Piero Lardi Ferrari 10% and the FIAT Group 90%, the
latter having repurchased the 5% previously held
by the government-owned Mubadala Development Co. of
Abu Dhabi.
Force India - Orange India Holdings Sarl, whose owners in turn are:
team principal Vijay Mallya 42.5%, sports promoter Sahara
India Pariwar 42.5%, and the Dutch Mol family 15% (as of
mid-October 2011). It is rumored that the entry of Sahara
is the first step in an eventual buyout.
HRT - The Hispania Group - "HRT" is short for Hispania Racing
F1 team - and others. In July 2011 Thesan Capital,
another Spanish investment group, took majority ownership
of Hispania from businessman José Ramón Carabante.
Lotus - Believed to be the Tune Group (Tony Fernandes), the
Malaysian Naza Group, and Litespeed UK.
McLaren - TAG McLaren is 30% owned by the Bahrain holding
company Mumtalakat and 15% each by Ron Dennis and TAG
Group S.A. (Mansouer Ojjeh). The remaining 40% had
been held by Mercedes, but following its purchase of
Brawn it was announced that would be sold back during
2010-11. As of mid-March 2010 the Mercedes
shareholding was approximately 11%, 29% now being
held by the team's parent McLaren Group.
Mercedes GP - Daimler AG (60%) and Aabar Investments PJS (40%).
Red Bull - Dietrich Mateschitz's Red Bull energy drink company.
Renault - Luxembourg-based Genii Capital completed a buyout of
Renault in late 2010. (The engine operation at
Viry-Chatillon remains in Renault's hands.) Group
Lotus (which is mostly held by the Malaysian car
manufacturer Proton) is the title sponsor for 2011
but does not at present hold an ownership share.
Sauber - Peter Sauber.
Scuderia Toro Rosso
- Dietrich Mateschitz's Red Bull energy drink company.
Reports that the team is for sale recur frequently,
and recent financial arrangements with Abu Dhabi-
based investment funds suggest that an eventual
buyout may be planned.
Virgin - John Booth, Lloyds TSB Development Capital, Nick Wirth*,
and apparently the Virgin Group, and others - the
team's ownership structure is complex, perhaps
for tax reasons. Late in 2010 the Russian sportscar
manufacturer Marussia Motors took a major shareholding
and became title sponsor for 2011. (*How the team's
decision to remove Wirth as technical director in mid-
2011 affects ownership is unclear.)
Williams - Frank Williams somewhat more than 50%, Patrick Head 9%,
Austrian businessman Christian "Toto" Wolff about 15%,
Adam Parr, Sam Michael, and Alex Burns around 1% each.
A public stock flotation of around 24%, most of it from
Head's former holding, accounts for the rest.

All of the teams listed are members of FOTA except HRT,
which failed to pay their 2010 membership fee and withdrew
(or was dismissed) from the organization in early 2011.

Q. What changes to team lineups are expected for 2012?
A. Apparently none - the FIA has not solicited applications for
the 13th slot, and all current teams are expected back. Three
of them will return with new chassis names:

Team Lotus's "Lotus" will become Caterham
Lotus Renault's "Renault" will become Lotus
Marussia Virgin Racing's "Virgin" will become Marussia

Q: Who is supplying engines to which team in 2011?
A: Ferrari - Ferrari [F]
Force India - Mercedes [C]
HRT - Cosworth [C]
Lotus - Renault [C]
McLaren - Mercedes [C]
Mercedes - Mercedes [F]
Red Bull - Renault [C]
Renault - Renault [F]
Sauber - Ferrari [C]
STR - Ferrari [C]
Virgin - Cosworth [C]
Williams - Cosworth [C]

[F] Factory [C] Customer

Q: Who will be supplying engines to which team in 2012?
A: Caterham - Renault [C]
Ferrari - Ferrari [F]
Force India - Mercedes [C]
HRT - Cosworth [C]
Lotus - Renault [C]
Marussia - Cosworth [C]
McLaren - Mercedes [C]
Mercedes - Mercedes [F]
Red Bull - Renault [C]
Sauber - Ferrari [C]
STR - Ferrari [C]
Williams - Renault [C]

[F] Factory [C] Customer

Q. How much does each team spend per year?
A. Estimates are all that are available, and of course they vary.
Here are some total figures (for 10 teams, in millions of US
dollars):

Year Total Source
========================
2003 2141 /F1 Racing/
2004 2493 /F1 Racing/
2005 2815 /F1 Racing/
2008 3028 /Motor Sport/
2009 2716 /Motor Sport/

Efforts to reduce costs have ramped up in the last year or two -
indeed the FIA's proposal of less restrictive technical rules for
teams agreeing to run under a cost cap was the major issue that
nearly led to a breakaway series (see "What are the main changes for
2010?" above). The new Concorde Agreement (see above) is understood
to be accompanied by a "resource restriction" document by which the
teams accept somewhat flexible limits on staffing and budgets. The
three new teams for 2010 (Lotus, HRT, Virgin) originally entered as
cost-capped teams and probably have significantly smaller budgets
available than most of the outfits that ran in 2009. A new
resource restriction agreement running from 2011 through 2017 was
agreed to in principle by FOTA members midway through 2010, but at
this writing has not been finalized. (Red Bull, at least, has
issues with the enforceability of the draft document.)

Q: Is it true that there was a 6-wheel F1 car that won a race?
A: The Tyrrell project 34 had small, 10 inch diameter front
wheels that could be completely hidden behind the front
cowling then in common use on F1 cars. This removed the front
wheels from the airstream and thus reduced drag significantly,
resulting in the car going faster. The problem was that the
tiny front wheels didn't provide enough surface area for
proper braking. The way around this was to use 4 front wheels
instead of the usual 2. The car was pretty successful in its
first year and actually won at Anderstorp (Swedish Grand Prix
1976) for Jody Scheckter, with Depailler second. It was less
successful in 1977 because the more complicated 4-wheel front
suspension assembly added a lot of weight, and Goodyear wasn't
keeping up on tire development of the 10" tires. Tyrrell went
back to a conventional, 4-wheel car the next year. Pictures
at http://www.ddavid.com/formula1/tyrp34.htm and
http://www.evil-photographer.com/cars/tyrrell/P34/P34.htm.

March also made some experiments with a 6 wheel car in 1977.
The 2-4-0 (from rail locomotive terminology) sought increased
traction by having a second set of rear wheels behind the
first. Design and construction were very informal, development
nonexistent (most running was done with only one set of rear
wheels driven to avoid cracking the inadequate gearbox
casing), and the car never competed; a successor machine did
win several British hillclimbs in 1979 with Roy Lane at the
wheel.

Williams produced a 6-wheel variant of their FW08 in 1982, of
similar layout to the March. The idea this time was to extend
the area under the car available to venturi tunnels and to
allow the rear wing to be mounted further back on the car.
Cars were built and tested, but right about the time that they
were ready to race the FIA came out with new regulations
restricting F1 cars to 4 wheels mounted on 2 axles, so it
never raced for the FIA World Championship. The cars still
exist and have appeared in several historic races. Photo at
http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/images/large/689-1.jpg.

Q: Is it true about a "fan car"?
A: The Brabham BT46B, which Niki Lauda drove to victory in the
1978 Swedish GP.

This was an idea borrowed from Jim Hall's Chaparral CanAm
cars. The idea was to put skirts on the sidepods to seal the
undercar area, then to mount an extractor fan at the back to
remove the air under the car, thus sucking it down onto the
track. To get around the "moveable areodynamic device" ban,
Brabham claimed that the fan was there to help cool the engine.

Whilst this wasn't false, it wasn't the full reason behind the
fan; the car actually squatted down onto the track if you
blipped the throttle while it was stationary.

But its biggest problem was that it was very successful, so all
the other teams protested. There was also one legitimate
safety concern--the fan tended to pick up debris from the track
and blow it into the face of a driver following closely. In
any event, the car was very soon banned by the FIA because the
fan was ruled to be an aerodynamic aid not in a fixed position
relative to the sprung part of the car.

Q: Why were Tyrrell thrown out of the 1984 championship?
A: This is from Autocourse:

"In the afterglow of 1984's chase-the-McLaren story, the
FISA-versus-Tyrrell affair still rankles as being as distasteful
as it was ill-considered. Whether or not Tyrrell was plying his
012 cars with lead ballast during a late-race pit stop or - and
this is more far-fetched - mixing additive to the water injected
into the engine to ward off piston and valvegear failures has
become a moot case. What is more relevant is not only the way
that FISA conducted his trial - for example, introducing fresh
evidence at an appeal hearing and barring Tyrrell from
approaching expert witnesses who had analysed water samples for
FISA - but also the severity of the fine. If Andrea de Cesaris
and Niki Lauda have their practice times discounted on the days
at Dijon and Dallas where the Ligier was found to be running with
an empty fire extinguisher bottle and the McLaren declared to
have a rear wing 2mm too wide, then excluding Tyrrell from the
World Championship for infringements committed during Martin
Brundle's gutsy drive to second in Detroit ranks as a kneejerk
reaction of an inappropriate magnitude.

But the decision was final, costing Tyrrell his FOCA membership
and USD 1,000,000 in concessionary travel arrangements to
transcontinental races. Underlying the season had been the
backstage arguments over the proposed 195-litre fuel capacity
maximum intended for 1985: to stick at the current 220-litre
allowance required team unanimity - and Ken Tyrrell was the only
dissenting voice. Naturally, after he was barred from the
Championship, so 220 litres became a fixed part of the '85
technical regulations, neatly, tidily and with no outward fuss."

Q: Who won the constructors championship in the year....?
A:
2011 Red Bull (A)
2010 Red Bull (A)
2009 Brawn (GB)
2008 Ferrari (I)
2007 Ferrari (I)
2006 Renault (F)
2005 Renault (F)
2004 Ferrari (I)
2003 Ferrari (I)
2002 Ferrari (I)
2001 Ferrari (I)
2000 Ferrari (I)
1999 Ferrari (I)
1998 McLaren (GB)
1997 Williams (GB)
1996 Williams (GB)
1995 Benetton (GB)
1994 Williams (GB)
1993 Williams (GB)
1992 Williams (GB)
1991 McLaren (GB)
1990 McLaren (GB)
1989 McLaren (GB)
1988 McLaren (GB)
1987 Williams (GB)
1986 Williams (GB)
1985 McLaren (GB)
1984 McLaren (GB)
1983 Ferrari (I)
1982 Ferrari (I)
1981 Williams (GB)
1980 Williams (GB)
1979 Ferrari (I)
1978 Lotus (GB)
1977 Ferrari (I)
1976 Ferrari (I)
1975 Ferrari (I)
1974 McLaren (GB)
1973 Lotus (GB)
1972 Lotus (GB)
1971 Tyrrell (GB)
1970 Lotus (GB)
1969 Matra (F)
1968 Lotus (GB)
1967 Brabham (GB)
1966 Brabham (GB)
1965 Lotus (GB)
1964 Ferrari (I)
1963 Lotus (GB)
1962 BRM (GB)
1961 Ferrari (I)
1960 Cooper (GB)
1959 Cooper (GB)
1958 Vanwall (GB)

(The Constructors Championship originated in 1958.)

--
Mark Jackson - http://www.alumni.caltech.edu/~mjackson