Under new Formula One rules introduced this season, drivers must make their engines last for two whole race weekends rather than just one. Any unscheduled replacement brings a loss of 10-places on the starting grid. However, a driver can replace an engine without penalty if he retires from a race.
BAR became the first to exploit this loophole on Sunday by retiring their cars near the end of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. Team boss Nick Fry recognised BAR were off the pace so Jenson Button and Takuma Sato in the pits on the last lap. Because the two drivers ‘retired’, they can have new engines in the next race.
"Our reading of the rules is if you fail to finish, it then gives you the opportunity to change your engine because you've effectively taken the penalty in the race you failed to finish," said Fry. "So we've taken advantage of that, and if we choose to do so, fit a new engine for Malaysia," he added. That grand prix, the second round of the championship, is on March 20.
"Obviously our hope was that we were going to finish in the points and so this wouldn't have been necessary," said Fry. "But as we weren't in the points we might as well take advantage of the rules as we see them and give them a new engine for next time round."
Will this become a common ploy for Formula 1 teams who are not doing very well?
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