By Kunal Shah

It’s March – probably the most awaited month of the year for motor-racing enthusiasts globally! While the fans are eagerly waiting for the season opener at the Bahrain International Circuit (I still prefer Melbourne Park), teams and drivers are busy testing their new challengers, and perfecting them for the 2010 F1 season. Other than test sessions, the only other bit of news that has kept fans engaged with F1 are the recent changes in the rulebook. Yes, there are changes yet again in F1 – so it’s time to get used to another set of rules, and understand just how it’ll affect your viewing of the sport.

Before I attempt to dissect the rules myself, and understand the impact they could have on the sport, I must share a bit of history on the 2010 rule changes. F1 was always an elitist sport – a sport that was viewed by a few million fans, but mostly in the European markets. It took almost 50 years for F1 to break through this image, and break boundaries to explode into the much-booming Asian markets and increase their fan base exponentially. As it stands today, F1 does rate amongst the highest viewed (on TV) sports globally!

Well, the connection between history and the rule changes may sound a little farfetched, but I do believe there’s a link somewhere. I view F1 as a very rigid product, where changes were made to accommodate manufacturers, and their automotive development programmes – often leaving fans in the lurch. More often than not, fans were expected to just love the sport. The FOM (Formula One Management) seldom bothered about what the fans actually wanted to see! What the FOM missed, however, was that, along with the sport, the fan too was evolving. He not only sought more entertainment from his sport, but also had a host of other sports and entertainment activities to pick and choose from. To cut it short, F1 became a complex sport with the balance skewing away from ‘entertainment.’

The FOM, which is supposed to manage the sport, realized this much too late, but they did, however, decide to take corrective measures. As a result, the last few years have seen the FOM undertake massive consumer research and behaviour programs on a global level – to get a real sense of what the end consumer actually expects from Formula 1. This alone has gotten me excited for 2010 – the product of F1, for the first time in its history, is being ‘tweaked’ for us fans! Here are a few insights on the survey (source: F1.com) – see if you agree:

• Fans are most interested in seeing driver skill, and least interested in changes to the regulations
• 58% of fans agreed Spa, Silverstone, Monaco and Monza should stay on the calendar
• The majority of fans are not concerned about a reduction in testing
• One third of fans want to see race grids reversed, to put faster cars at the back
• Most fans think the level of overtaking is about right, but a significant number want to see more
• More than half of the fans think more emphasis should be placed on winning races in determining the championship winner
• Half of the fans want more on-board cameras on the cars, and interactive television coverage

Doing away with the gyaan – let’s look at what the changes actually are, and more importantly, how they impact the viewing for us fans. However, one point before you proceed – I chose to concentrate only on the ones which will have a major impact on the spectacle. For a detailed version, I would advise you to refer the FIA Rule Book (but trust me, you’ll be lost there and return to read this).

• Qualifying: We’re back to the low-fuel qualifying era. Since cars will start races with full fuel tanks, qualifying fuel levels don’t matter. The only change that does matter here is that the top 10 qualifiers will have to start their races with the same set of tyres they used in qualifying (strange)!
  
  
• F1 points scoring system: 25-18-15 points will be awarded to the top 3 finishers – laying more emphasis on winning. We asked for it, and they gave it! The only hitch – this rule change might rob us of those valiant comebacks (Kimi’s 2007 title). Also, now the top 10 finishers will be awarded points. This to accommodate 3 new teams (and 6 new cars) on track
  
  
• Mid-race refueling ban: F1 2010 will see pit-stops, but only to change tyres. The research results revealed that fans loved seeing the pit stops, but didn’t take too well to fuel strategy – finding them often too complex. Hence the change (but I, for one, will miss predicting the fuel strategies)
  
  
• KERS: Here’s a funny one. The regulations allow usage of KERS, but the teams have unanimously agreed to not use this revolutionary system. Thankfully, we won’t have a situation like last year, where only one-third of the grid had a power boost, while the others didn’t
  
  
• Lower cornering speeds: The front tires have been narrowed to adjust the front-rear grip level ratio. The fuel tank capacity increases from 80 liters to around 250 liters – in order to cover a full race distance. As a result, the rear bodywork has been made wider and the wheelbase longer to accommodate a larger fuel tank, which also means added weight. Consequently, full fuel loads and narrower front tyres mean that we will see a vast reduction in cornering speeds
  
  
• Tyre warmers: Banned! I personally loved these, and wished to have them on my car too! A ban on this unique device will only mean that we’ll see drivers weave even more to generate heat in their tyres. That aside, we could also witness more accidents due to ‘cold’ tyres, which, of course, adds to the entertainment

There are few other regulation changes for mid-season testing, as well as changes in the measurements of the diffuser, et al – but, like I said earlier, let’s leave those for the Rule Book!

With F1 2010 upon us, I am bloody excited to see the action begin – now, do you know why?