14/01/2015
NEWS STORY
Having met with representatives of Honda the FIA is said to be considering making changes to the engine rules.
The meeting, which took place yesterday, followed Honda's call for the governing body to look at the situation that the Japanese manufacturer finds itself in on its return to the sport in partnership with McLaren.
A loophole in the regulations means that Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault do not yet have a deadline by which their engines must be homologated, whereas in 2014, the first year of the new formula, the deadline was 28 February.
However, as a new manufacturer, Honda must observe the same (28 February) deadline its rivals adhered to, a rule the Japanese manufacturer claims is unfair.
Last week Honda (and McLaren) revealed they had been in touch with the FIA and though unwilling to make any further comment on the situation admitted that they had called for "fair competition".
Following yesterday's meeting, though still unwilling to give much away, a Honda spokesperson did at least tell the BBC that talks were "constructive" and that the meeting "went well".
Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault now have the freedom to carry out performance developments into 2015 providing they do not exceed the 32 areas of development (each known as a token) outlined in the regulations and do not exceed the four power unit limit per car. Interestingly, though Honda is (currently) operating under the 2014 regulations it, like its rivals, will be limited to four power units per car this year.
As one would expect, the 'token system' is somewhat complicated.
This year, Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault can change 32 tokens - whereas changing 100% of the permissible components would require 66 tokens. In 2016 they can change 25 tokens, in 2017 twenty, in 2018 fifteen and just three in 2019 and again in 2020.
Honda, which currently has no tokens, is therefore looking for a token gesture from the FIA.
Annual Power Unit Homologation
| Function | Function Details |
Token Value (Weight) |
'15 | '16 | '17 | '18 |
'19/ '20 |
| Upper/lower crankcase | Cylinder bore spacing, deck height, bank stagger. | 2 | X | X | X | X | X |
| Upper/lower crankcase | All dimensions including Cylinder bore position relative to legality volume, water core. | 3 | X | X | X | X | |
| Cylinder Head | Except modifications linked to subsequent modifications. | 2 | X | ||||
| Combustion | All parts of parts defining combustion. Included: Ports, Piston crown, Combustion chamber, Valves geometry, timing, lift, injector nozzle, coils, spark plug Excluded: Valves position. | 3 | X | ||||
| Valves axis position | Includes angle but excludes axial displacement | 2 | X | X | |||
| Valves drive | From valve to camshaft lobe. Position and Geometry. Exhaust and Inlet. Including valve return function inside the head. | 2 | X | X | |||
| Valve drive - Camshafts | From camshaft lobe to gear train. Geometry except lift profile. Includes damping systems linked to camshaft. Exhaust and Inlet. | 1 | X | X | X | X | |
| Valve drive | Gear train down to crankshaft gear included. Position and Geometry. Includes dampers. | 2 | X | X | X | X | |
| Covers | Covers closing the areas in contact with engine oil Cam covers, Cam-timing covers… | 1 | X | X | X | X | |
| Crankshaft | Crank throw, main bearing journal diameter, rod bearing journal diameter. | 2 | X | X | X | X | X |
| Crankshaft | Except Crank throw, main bearing journal diameter, rod bearing journal diameter. Includes Crankshaft bearings. | 2 | X | X | |||
| Con rods | Including small and big end bearings. | 2 | X | ||||
| Pistons | Including bearings and pin. Excluding crown. | 2 | X | ||||
| Air valve system | Including compressor, air pressure regulation devices. | 1 | X | X | X | X | X |
| Ancillaries drive | From ancillary to power source. Includes position of the ancillaries as far as drive is concerned. | 3 | X | X | X | X | |
| Oil pressure pumps | Including filter. Excluding internal if no impact on body. | 1 | X | X | |||
| Oil scavenge systems | Any scavenging system. | 1 | X | X | |||
| Oil recuperation | Oil/air separator, Oil tank, catch tank. | 1 | X | ||||
| Engine Water pumps | Include power unit mounted water pipes. | 1 | X | ||||
| Injection system | PU mounted fuel system components: (e.g. High Pressure fuel hose, fuel rail, fuel injectors, accumulators). Excluding injector nozzle. | 2 | X | ||||
| Inlet system | Plenum and associated actuators. Excluding pressure charging, trumpets and throttle associated parts and actuators. | 1 | X | ||||
| Inlet system | Trumpets and associated parts and actuators. | 1 | X | ||||
| Inlet system | Throttles and associated parts and actuators. | 1 | X | ||||
| Pressure charging | From compressor inlet to compressor outlet. | 2 | X | ||||
| Pressure charging | From turbine inlet to turbine outlet. | 2 | X | ||||
| Pressure charging | From Engine exhaust flanges to turbine inlet. | 1 | |||||
| Pressure charging | External actuators linked to Pressure charging. | 1 | X | ||||
| Electrical system | Engine mounted electrical components (e.g. wiring loom within legality volume, sensors, alternator). Excluding actuators, ignition coils and spark plugs. | 1 | |||||
| Ignition system | Ignition coils, driver box. | 1 | X | ||||
| Lubrication | All parts in which circulates oil under pressure (Oil pump gears, channels, piping, jets) and not mentioned elsewhere in the table. | 1 | X | ||||
| Friction coatings | 1 | X | |||||
| Sliding or rotating seals | 1 | X | |||||
| MGU-H | Complete. All internals including bearings, casing… | 2 | X | ||||
| MGU-H | Position, Transmission. | 2 | X | ||||
| MGU-H | Power electronics. | 1 | X | ||||
| MGU-K | Complete. All internals including bearings, casing… | 2 | X | ||||
| MGU-K | Position, Transmission. | 2 | X | ||||
| MGU-K | Power electronics. | 1 | X | ||||
| ERS | Wiring loom. | 1 | |||||
| ES | Cells (Article 5.4.3). | 2 | X | ||||
| ES | BMS. | 2 | X | ||||
| ERS - Cooling/lubrication | Cooling/Lubrication systems (Including ES jackets, pipes, pumps, actuators). | 1 | X |
Note: X = No modifying/development allowed
| Details | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
| Total of weighted items | 66 | 66 | 66 | 66 | 66 | 66 |
| Total of weighted modifiable items | 61 | 51 | 51 | 43 | 3 | 3 |
| Quota of total weighted items allowed for modifications | 32 | 25 | 20 | 15 | 3 | 3 |
| % of modifications allowed vs. complete weighted PU | 48 | 38 | 30 | 23 | 5 | 5 |
| Total of frozen items | 5 | 15 | 15 | 23 | 63 | 63 |
| % PU being frozen | 8 | 23 | 23 | 35 | 95 | 95 |
Chris Balfe