The writers of the F1 rulebook certainly don’t take their job lying down. There are plenty of other rule changes that have come into play as well. First, the ban on team orders in Formula 1 has been lifted, so we won’t see fines slapped on teams for playing favourite any more. But there is a wider range of penalties for driver misconduct available to be dished out by stewards. Teams now have a curfew to work with — they are no longer allowed on the circuit between 12 am and 6 am when practice will start at 10 am the following day. If practice is scheduled for 11 am, there is a one hour delay in the curfew. Gearboxes now have to last a total of five race weekends instead of four. And the most important rule, certainly for newer drivers and teams, is the 107 per cent qualifying rule. A driver who fails to set a lap within 107 per cent of the fastest qualifying time will not be allowed to compete in the race.
Freshers
There are rookies aplenty in F1 2011, and it's going to be interesting to see how they fare. Jerome D'Ambrosio of Belgium makes his F1 debut with Marussia Virgin Racing. D'Ambrosio has risen through the GP2 ranks before landing a race seat with Virgin. But given that he only finished 12th in the 2010 season, and given that Virgin isn't in the most competitive form, 2011 will have a steep learning curve. Reigning DTM champion Paul di Resta joins Adrian Sutil at Force India. Can he help realise the team's dream of winning the Indian GP this year? And Williams F1 has jousted Nico Hulkenberg in favour of reigning GP2 champion, Pastor Maldonado. The Venezuelan will join the most experienced F1 driver ever — Rubens Barrichello — in the 2011 campaign. And finally, there is Mexican driver Sergio Perez who has landed a race seat with Sauber.
Who will be rookie of the year? Only time will tell!