F3 teams welcome new technical rules

Two of Formula 3's leading teams have given the thumbs-up to the FIA World Motor Sport Council's extension of the current chassis' life by two seasons.

The World Council announced last Friday that the current-generation cars, which were originally scheduled to compete from 2012-15, will go on until the end of 2017.

"I was quite shocked and pleasantly surprised when they said the cars can go on until 2017," Carlin boss Trevor Carlin said. "Considering the money we spent this year [on the new-spec engines, gearboxes and electronics] it puts us back on an even keel."

Van Amersfoort Racing chief Frits van Amersfoort agreed, adding: "It's a good decision, because the teams need air to start breathing again."

Handbrakes (which are used as part of the starting system) will be banned next season, while a rev limiter will be introduced for starts, and there will be a development freeze on dampers.

There will also be further tweaks to the sporting regulations surrounding engine changes, and a revision of the gear ratios allowed using information gained from the first season of racing with the new, larger-diameter 28mm air restrictor. Carlin had mixed feelings about the latter.

"It [the handbrake ban] won't save a penny because we've already got them, but it should be OK – at least we don't start races on the downhill slope at Spa anymore," he said. "I feel that someone will just come up with something that isn't a handbrake [and starts a new form of development].

"I think the rule is intended to save money on clutches – people are destroying them by poorly operating the handbrakes. And the good drivers will find a solution – I remember when Takuma Sato and Alan van der Merwe [Carlin's British F3 champions of 2001 and '03 respectively] could do 0-60 times of less than three seconds without a handbrake; some drivers now struggle to do that with one."

Van Amersfoort was more enthusiastic.

"I welcome the handbrake ban, but the rev limiter I don't know – we don't have a problem," he said. "But it's very important that we keep this series under control technically, that no one is putting development into things that will bring us trouble.

"One of the most important things for this championship is that small teams and big teams can survive together – it's vital that we have this combination and that the big teams don't swallow the others up, otherwise it's unhealthy."

Originally on Autosport.com