Categories: 2017 SeasonF1 News, Reports and Race Results

Radical aero overhaul approved for 2017

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F1 cars are set to deliver radically reduced lap times in 2017 after new aerodynamic regulations were approved.

Meetings of the Strategy Group and F1 Commission in Geneva on Tuesday saw the teams and FIA agree on bodywork regulations which will see lap times lowered by up to five seconds. While not as radical as Red Bull's aerodynamic proposal, new rules - which are expected to be officially confirmed tomorrow - were agreed upon which will deliver quicker times, with the F1 Commission approving it by 20 votes to three.

Other changes to power unit regulations and fuel usage have been deferred until the end of April to allow more time for investigation.

F1i understands wider tyres will help deliver the quicker lap times, with previously discussed dimensions of 305mm front and 405mm rear widths set to be introduced on wider track cars.

As part of the discussions held on Tuesday, a new elimination-style qualifying format has also been approved.

Sources suggest "constructive developments" were made with regard to cockpit protection, with Red Bull having delivered an alternative proposal to the Mercedes 'Halo' concept which has already received FIA backing. A decision cockpit protection was also delayed until the end of April.

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.