Formula 1 is filled with technical intricacies that even seasoned fans need clarification on. That’s why we offered you the chance to pose your burning questions to our experts Ernest Knoors and Rob van den Heijkant in FORMULA 1 Magazine. They delved into the subject matter and provide clear, understandable answers. Today, you’ll learn more about the rules surrounding parc fermé.
Jan Devens wonders: “After the qualification, nothing can be changed on the car, also known as the parc fermé. But modern F1 cars are filled with electronics that can control parameters such as the differential, when to charge electrical energy, and much more. Which electronic parameters that affect driving behavior fall under parc fermé and which do not?”
Ernest Knoors responds: “Indeed, you can’t change anything on the car, including the software of the computers that control the car. That’s sealed. But within that software, there are certain programming modes to use, for example, the differential. You might have five or six modes that allow you to close the differential more or less. You control this from the steering wheel, even during qualification and the race. And there are more switches on the steering wheel that control certain electronics from the steering. Think about the fuel mixture or how you charge your electrical systems. You can still play with these after parc fermé.”
What is not allowed after parc fermé
“However, you can’t change the settings of these pre-programmed modes after parc fermé. Most of the work on these modes, also known as maps, is done on Friday during the training sessions. Here, the teams and drivers try to determine the most optimal settings for the qualification and race.”
