04/02/2016
NEWS STORY
Introduced in a bid to curb in-season development, and the resultant costs, the token system was unpopular and unnecessarily complicated.
The tokens allowed engine manufacturers to update various components, which all had a specific (token) value.
However, to add to the confusion, not only was the amount of tokens decreased over the six years the rule was due to be in place (2015 - 2020), there was a system whereby certain parts could not be updated after a certain point.
Initially the sliding scale would have seen manufacturers allowed 25 tokens this season but following a meeting of the engine manufacturers last October this was raised to 32.
At the same time restrictions on those areas in which development was banned this year, including upper/lower crankcase, valve drive, crankshafts, air valve systems and ancillary drives, were lifted.
At the time, the move was particularly welcomed by Renault and Honda, as the 28 February deadline was also removed thereby allowing development in to the new season.
The decision to scrap the token system was revealed by Renault's Cyril Abiteboul at yesterday's team unveiling.
"The token system is being removed," he told journalists. "One of the reasons we have all agreed to do this is that we all need the performance of the engine to converge.
"An F1 that is dictated by the performance of the engine is not good for anyone," he added. "It is not good for Mercedes, it is not good for Renault, Ferrari... we all have interest to change that.
"We have decided, also for the public, to stop the public being confused between the penalty system and the token system, we have decided to simply remove the token system."
And in case you'd forgotten how absurd it was.
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 denotes development frozen at this point.