Formulation 1’s governing physique has accredited new guidelines permitting groups to check modified vehicles in an effort to simulate the forthcoming 2026 rules.
Nonetheless F1’s official tyre provider Pirelli has beforehand warned it will likely be “not possible” to adapt current vehicles to simulate the rules which can apply after subsequent season.
The FIA World Motorsport Council accredited an addition to the 2024 Sporting Rules which permits a complete of 10 days of ‘mule automotive’ testing to happen this 12 months.
Groups could use chassis constructed to the technical rules of any of the 4 previous seasons – 2020 to 2023 – as a foundation for the mule vehicles. This consists of vehicles created earlier than and after the present ‘floor impact’ rules had been launched in 2022.
“Testing of Mule Vehicles (TMC) shall be outlined as any observe working time, not a part of a contest, by which a competitor entered within the championship participates (or by which a 3rd occasion participates on behalf of a competitor or a provider of a homologated energy unit), utilizing vehicles which had been designed and constructed in an effort to adjust to the technical rules or with the technical rules of any of the 4 calendar years falling instantly previous to the calendar 12 months of the championship, however suitably modified for the aim of offering the appointed tyre provider with a method of observe testing of its future merchandise or for offering the FIA with a method of testing elements or programs for future championship seasons,” states the brand new rule.
“No competitor could promote or make accessible any such automotive to any third occasion with out the prior authorisation of the FIA,” it provides.
“Vehicles should embrace and are restricted to the minimal modifications essential for the aim of testing improvement tyres or for testing elements or programs on behalf of the FIA for future championship seasons, as decided by the FIA.”
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F1 groups have beforehand used mule vehicles to simulate upcoming adjustments to the foundations, notably forward of the 2017 season. On that event the utmost automotive widths had been elevated and different guidelines relaxed permitting groups to create extra highly effective aerodynamic units to generate extra downforce. Groups had been in a position to simulate the adjustments by including bigger wings to earlier vehicles.
Nonetheless the 2026 rules will scale back the scale and weight of the vehicles, introduce extra subtle lively aerodynamics and revised energy models. Groups are prone to discover all these adjustments harder to simulate with present vehicles. The pre-2022 fashions permitted underneath the foundations could present a greater foundation for comparability.
“It’s not possible, I might say, to create a mule automotive with related traits,” Pirelli’s motorsport director Mario Isola informed RaceFans. “We is not going to have smaller vehicles. We are able to avoid wasting weight – as an alternative of doing lengthy runs with full tanks you may, scale back the extent of gas simply to simulate the load. However for the remaining, it’s not possible since you don’t have the lively aerodynamics.”
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