By Renault F1 Site Staff
April 3 2003

NewRegulationsFor2003

TESTING
The Mild Seven Renault F1 Team is a signatory of the ‘Heathrow Agreement’.This means that the team agrees to restrict private in 2003 to just ten days. In exchange, it will be authorised to run two extra hours of free practice, with three cars, on the Friday of each Grand Prix.

Flavio Briatore: “The Renault F1 Team is open-minded enough to evaluate the benefits of this measure.Two extra hours of free practice will enable our drivers and engineers to get a better understanding of the circuits at which the Grands Prix actually take place. It’s an excellent opportunity, especially for those venues where testing is not possible. Fernando Alonso will be able to familiarise himself better with every circuit, and this decision will not detract from our development programme.”


QUALIFYING
Drivers will now have just one timed lap each on both Friday and Saturday and will lap one at a time. Friday’s running order will be dictated by provisional World Championship positions, while Saturday’s order will be based on Friday’s times.

Jarno Trulli: “I have already worked with an identical system in karting. It promises to be an interesting exercise, with no margin for error. We will have to be careful not to over-drive, not to want to do too much, otherwise we could end up paying a big price. I have always loved qualifying, so I think I will like this new rule.”

Fernando Alonso: “Like Jarno, I have used a similar system in karting, and it wasn’t so bad for me. I believe this measure is good for spectators, and we are likely to have some unusual grids, which is in turn promising for the race itself.”


POINTS SCORING SYSTEM
The first eight drivers across the line will now score points, in keeping with the following system: 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Mike Gascoyne: “In 2002, when we were reliable, we saw that we generally finished inside the top six. More points will be awarded now and that’s good for us. Finishing inside the top eight shouldn’t be a problem, which means we should be able to add to our total at each Grand Prix.”


TYRES
Each tyre manufacturer can now supply each of its partners with different
specification tyres as far as its two dry weather options are concerned.
Meanwhile, there will just be one wet weather tyre.

Pat Symonds: ”As a French team, we want to become Michelin’s number one partner.We have worked hand in hand for months, and this new measure should enable us to be even more competitive. Along with aerodynamics, tyres are the key performance factor in modern F1 and, as such, demand a great deal of attention.”