After weeks of discussions, anticipations and indiscretions, the World Motorsport Council has ratified the changes to be made to the regulations for 2023, with consequent official publication on the FIA website. From their consultation we learn how the corrective measures affect numerous areas of the car: from the minimum weight to the temperature of the gasoline, already discussed in the first half of 2022, passing through the aerodynamic innovations and further modifications to the plank. The most important changes, however, concern the new structural parameters for the roll-hoop, after the serious accident that occurred to Zhou Guanyu at Silverstone.
The minimum weight of the cars will drop next season from 798 to 796 kg, thus returning to the value initially budgeted for the current championship and subsequently raised at the request of the teams. On the other hand, the minimum weight of the power unit will rise from 150 to 151 kg, to cope with the greater resistance required to the screws fixing the engine to the chassis. Remaining in the engine field, point 6.4.2 has been rewritten which regulates the temperature of the petrol, which will continue to be no less than 10 ° C lower than the ambient temperature, up to a minimum of 10 ° C, contrary to the 20 ° C threshold currently in use. Therefore, while in 2022 below 30 ° C ambient temperature the fuel had to be at least 20 ° C, from 2023 the minimum threshold in these contexts will be lowered to 10 ° C. Finally, the updated regulations provide for the introduction of a relief valve for the vapors inside the fuel tank, with a maximum internal pressure set at 1 bar.
Aerodynamic changes to counter porpoising had already been anticipated in recent weeks. The minimum section of the diffuser has been raised above the ground, while the outer edge of the bottom has been raised by 15 mm compared to 2022. The fund itself will have to be more rigid, with a crackdown on flexibility tests. Up to a distance of 950 mm forward from the rear wheels, under the application of a vertical load of 250 N downwards, the floor will not be able to flex more than 5 mm, against the 8 currently allowed. During the application of 250 N of vertical upward load instead the maximum deflection will be 5 mm, in contrast to the 12 mm accepted up to 2022. As for the plank, the resin axis that runs longitudinally under the single-seater, the holes for measuring thickness and wear at the end of the race go down from six to four. Finally, the installation of an accelerometer supplied by a company designated by the FIA, to allow the Federation to collect data to perform dynamic analyzes, including the monitoring of aerodynamic rebound, should be noted.
The main corrections, however, concern the roll-hoop, the anti-rollover structure placed to protect the rider, not to be confused with the Halo. First, they were banned blade designs such as the one used by Alfa Romeo, making it necessary to design an arched and more extended structure, in line with those already widespread on most single-seaters. To achieve the objective, the regulation requires a minimum radius of curvature of 20 mm and, at heights greater than 950 mm with respect to the reference plane on the bottom, a structural section of 6000 mm2 in vertical projection. Previously, the legislation required a section of 10000 mm2 at a height of only 910 mm.
One of the critical factors that emerged in the accident that occurred in Zhou at Silverstone was the application of a horizontal forward load on the roll-hoop, not foreseen by the structural tests required by the regulations. A second load test will therefore be introduced in 2023 which includes the application of a horizontal forward load of 49 kN, equivalent to nearly 5 tons. In the past, moreover, there was a fair amount of freedom at the point of application of loads during homologation tests, thus allowing teams to impose them relatively low. However, by reducing the distance between the point of application and the anchoring of the structure to the frame, the resulting torque and consequently the stress on the material also decreased. Taking as a daily example that of a door, by imposing the same force on the handle or on a point closer to the hinges, in the second case the applied torque will be lower, with a consequent different rotation speed of the door itself. The 2023 legislation on roll-hoop load tests therefore imposes a minimum height for applying loads during tests, which can never go below 900 mm in height with respect to the reference plane. Finally, it is specified that “Any part of the structure above 935 mm in height must be designed to support a car impact against the ground at 15 g and be made of an abrasion resistant material.”
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