The world’s fastest sport is getting a few changes… in the rule book. The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile has decided that the races have become too predictable with the teams who have the most money to spend, Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull always coming in first. Not all eleven teams have the same budget as some of the bigger companies, which has resulted in what some call an “unfair” advantage. For the new 2021 season the team will only be able to spend $175 million on their cars, but this total does not include things such as driver’s salaries. Although the previously mentioned cost might not seem like a large amount, the highest paid driver, current world champion Lewis Hamilton, has a contract worth almost $80 million. 

Wind tunnels are commonly used to test a car’s aerodynamics, but this year teams will be limited to only 400 wind tunnel runs. As a result teams will have to rely on their computational fluid dynamics simulations, and mistakes in these designs can help even the playing field. A race weekend is usually broken down into three days; Friday consists of practice sessions, Saturday is a qualifying race to determine what spot a car will start in, and Sunday is the big race. Based on new rules teams will no longer be able to change their cars between Friday and Sunday. This will ensure that all teams have the same time and deadline to work on their cars and prepare for the race. 

The average car in Formula 1 can reach speeds above 60 mph in under two seconds. They constantly go over 200 mph and are very advanced pieces of equipment. That being said they also do not look like normal cars and some of them are not considered very visually appealing. The FIA has decided that the new cars will have a more modern and sportier look to appeal to viewers. The 1.9 billion formula 1 fans around the world will be anticipatedly waiting to see if the new rule changes make any difference with who comes in podium position next year.