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 instantly as ‘closed park’, F1’s parc fermé guidelines are a set of laws that govern precisely what a workforce can and can’t do to its automobiles throughout designated intervals of time forward of a grand prix, ensuring the automotive 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 types,” says F1 Technical Delegate Manuel Leal. “In WRC, for instance, or in Rally Raid, it’s a bodily ‘corral’ during which the automobiles are held, however in F1 it’s each a bodily house – you see that on the finish of classes when the automobiles are parked in a delegated space and within the pit lane – and a digital one, in case you like, the place the automobiles are returned to the groups however solely sure work is allowed to be carried out.. 

“Basically, the foundations stop groups from making modifications to their automobiles between Qualifying and the Race,” he provides. “The laws are meant to make sure a degree taking part in discipline for all groups by limiting their means to make modifications, and likewise for value causes in order that groups can’t create bespoke automobiles for Qualifying.”

The principles governing parc fermé are contained inside Article 40 of the F1 Sporting Rules, level two of which specifies that “every automotive might 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 automotive which fails to depart the pit lane in the course of the qualifying session might be deemed to be in parc fermé on the finish of Q1.”

That covers a typical 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 workforce to conduct any work, however then as regular from the second the automotive leaves the pit lane in Q1 it’s in parc fermé situations.”

So, as soon as in parc fermé, what sort of duties will be undertaken? Leal explains that largely any permitted work is both typical upkeep or security associated and contains the deglazing of brakes, modifications to the entrance wing flap angle, non-destructive take a look at (NDT) inspections for harm or weak spot, and bodywork elements could also be repaired the place the harm is patched, bonded, or mounted collectively. Sure fluids will be changed, engines will be fired up, modifications for driver consolation and likewise as a result of altering climate situations are allowed however all have to be utterly beneath 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 workforce. It have to be clear that any alternative half is identical in design and comparable in mass, inertia and performance to the unique. Any elements taken off a automotive are additionally retained by the FIA ought to additional checks be wanted. 

Leal explains that monitoring begins with the supply of set-up sheets for every automotive by a workforce.

“The groups must declare a set-up sheet for every automotive earlier than qualifying. That particulars cambers, toes, nook weights and so forth. So, for instance, in the event that they crash and must put the automotive again collectively, we’ll go down and verify 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’ll wish to do a set-up verify. 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 vital efficiency level, resembling weight distribution, ballast, suspension set-up, or aero – bar the entrance wing flap – then you’ll have an FIA particular person checking that it’s the identical.”

In addition to FIA technical employees, who could also be referred to as to carry out checks, fixed monitoring is performed by scrutineers, with one being assigned to every automotive all through the weekend. 

“We’ve that bodily house after a session, the place automobiles are weighed and so forth, and the digital house, when automobiles are returned to the workforce,” says Leal. “When that occurs we have now 20 scrutineers monitoring each single operation that’s being achieved to the automotive and writing that down for us to verify later. Additionally, initially of the season groups need to submit a listing of operations they’ll usually conduct in parc fermé throughout the laws, and we approve them or not. Every automotive is totally different so they may say that for them to verify the combustion chamber, they should take away the spark plugs and for eradicating the spark plugs, they should take away one thing else. This checklist tis given to the scrutineers, to allow them to observe what’s happening.” 

Following Qualifying no less than three automobiles are additionally chosen to endure additional checks and as soon as knowledgeable that their automotive has been chosen, the workforce involved can’t take the automotive out of parc fermé till these checks are accomplished.

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

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

All operations performed by a workforce have to be accomplished inside two hours of the top of each Qualifying and the Dash after which all automobiles have to be lined and prepared for FIA seals to be utilized as a way to make sure that they continue to be safe till the next day. 

Tamper-proof stickers or seals usually are not simply positioned on the covers, nonetheless. 

“Engines and gearboxes are, in fact, sealed,” says Leal. “However we have now the suitable to use seals to no matter half we want to hold monitor of. So if there’s something we’re involved about that’s vital and tough to see reside, even with the cameras, then we’ll add a seal. At least, it’s gearboxes, energy items, power restoration programs, bodywork panels the motive force’s seat, however we are able to place seals wherever crucial. I feel 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 automobiles stay beneath parc fermé situations till the beginning of the Race.

What occurs within the occasion {that a} workforce 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 just isn’t efficient, they want to change the spec of the automotive, or they’ve every other purpose to begin from the pit lane they’ll declare that. Technical Delegate Jo Bauer makes a report with the elements which were changed, within the case of failure or harm, after which one other report of parc fermé Points, which can element what the workforce did. All of that is made obtainable to everybody so there’s full readability.”

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

“FIA personnel sometimes do set-up and elements spec checks on Sunday morning, simply to guarantee that there’s nothing a scrutineer has missed, which to be trustworthy is uncommon. However it’s only a additional degree of vigilance for us to guarantee that groups have caught to the laws, that we have now a degree taking part in discipline and that, except there’s a compelling purpose, we go into the Race with automobiles within the situation they certified.”