Start, F2, Silverstone, 2019

Binotto: F2 starts problem showed potential risks of standard parts for F1

2021 F1 season

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Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto says the problems Formula 2 experienced with its clutches last year shows why Formula 1 should be wary of increasing the use of standard parts.

All F2 teams are required to use the same standard chassis. However when the series introduced its current model last year teams encountered repeated problems with their clutches. Following a series of near-misses where multiple cars stalled during standing starts, the FIA temporarily directed the series to use rolling starts instead.

F1 is planning to introduced more standard parts in 2021 to reduce costs, a plan Ferrari opposes. Binotto says the F2 example shows why F1 should be wary of going ahead with the plan, and pointed out the introduction of a budget cap may make standardisation unnecessary.

“We were arguing [against] the standardisation at first because there is a budget cap to control the costs and whatever you may do at the end you may standardise but the budget cap, at least for the top teams, will be the level of expenditure for the season,” said Binotto in response to a question from RaceFans.

“We believe that standardisation may even be a risk for Formula 1 in the future, because at first you don’t know what is the reliability on standard parts at the very start. We had a situation as well, if we look back at F2 for example, on a standard clutch, for many races they simply had to start behind the safety car because the clutch was not reliable enough.

“So we may accept standardisation but we need to make sure at first that it is reliable, that the level of quality is the right one, that the level of performance is what you may expect for an F1.”

Binotto is also concerned introducing some standard parts could increase costs, at least in the short term.

“We need to make sure that we do not have extra indirect cost by simply developing a standard component,” he said. “We believe that for most of the standard components that we are proposing currently for 2021, we will all need to redesign our car, we will need somehow to make sure that whatever is the new component is properly functioning and that’s extra cost.

“[Then] maybe it’s not costs that you have from 2021 onwards but it will be extra cost from now until 2021.”

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2 comments on “Binotto: F2 starts problem showed potential risks of standard parts for F1”

  1. pointed out the introduction of a budget cap may make standardisation unnecessary.

    Yeah, I can see the logic behind his argument. I’d prefer F1 does this. They can at least defer the decision on standard parts by 5 years or so, to see how effective the budget cap is.

    . “We believe that for most of the standard components that we are proposing currently for 2021, we will all need to redesign our car, we will need somehow to make sure that whatever is the new component is properly functioning and that’s extra cost.

    That’s a bit disingenuous. It is a one-time redesign, after which it stays consistent. It is cheaper in the long term, as pointed out by Dieter and Keith. The initial cost is an investment into future savings.

    Also, yes, standard parts need to be tested. Just as bespoke parts need testing. Given the stability in the specification of standard parts, those tests would be simpler and more consistent over a season than bespoke parts that might change in specification or design over the course of a season.

  2. I still maintain that the introduction of a budget cap should come with more technical freedom rather than less.

    Fans may not be able to see some of what they want to standardize but I still feel it should be upto the teams to choose what supplier they want to buy them from or if they want to design the bits themselves regardless of if it’s a significant performance advantage or not.

    To many people (Myself included) the thing that sets F1 above other categories is the performance & especially the technical race. Teams designing there own car, Developing that car, Pushing the regulations & coming up with innovative ideas to find an advantage no matter how small.

    And I do fear that the push for closer competition, more overtaking & better racing is going to result in a formula that is overly restrictive & I don’t think that will be positive regardless of how good the racing may end up been because I don’t think the racing has ever been or really will ever be the allure of F1.

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