The difference in points allocation is obvious from last year, although it should be noted that it is unclear how, or whether, cars will be awarded points if less than 8 drivers are classified. Competitors are still classified if they finish the race within 10% of the leader, as previously. The only example in recent years of less than 8 cars being classified was at the Monaco Grand Prix in 1996, where 7 cars were classified (albeit only 4 crossing the finish line), with the 8th place car missing out on classification by 2 laps.

60) During a season, each team will be permitted one driver change for their first car and will be permitted to have three drivers for their second car who may be changed at any time provided that any driver change is made in accordance with the Code and before the start of the first qualifying practice.

This rule will restrict driver changes throughout the season, although it is not expected to have much of an effect on the teams as there have not been many mid-season driver changes in recent years. With regard to timing before a race, drivers could previously be swapped until right before Saturday qualifying; with a qualifying run on Friday the teams have one day less to replace their driver if necessary. As an example Jordan replaced an ill Frentzen on the Saturday morning of the Canadian Grand Prix in 2001 with Ricardo Zonta; if a driver is withdrawn on a Friday the team will not be able to replace him.

66 b) Other than tyre rubber left when cars leave their pit stop position, Competitors may not attempt to enhance the grip of the surface in the pit lane unless a problem has been clearly identified and a solution agreed by the FIA Safety Delegate.

Approval will be now needed from the FIA to lay down, for instance, adhesive tape to increase grip in front of pit boxes with a different surface than that on the track (in Indianapolis, for example, the pitlane surface is concrete, as opposed to the asphalt track, with a lower adhesion). This has been done in the past by the teams, and without prior approval from the FIA or the track owners.

76 b) - each tyre supplier must undertake to provide no more than two specifications of dry-weather tyre to each Team at each Event, each of which must be of one homogenous compound;
- each tyre supplier must undertake to provide no more than one specification of wet-weather tyre at each Event which must be of one homogenous compound

Although this seems to limit each team to two types of dry tyres and only one wet weather tyre - whether it is intermediate, full wet or monsoon tyres - it should be pointed out that in the last two years full wets/monsoons have rarely been seen in the races. This is due to the vast improvements made with intermediate compounds by the tyre companies, and the fact that the FIA tends to bring out the safety car in full wet conditions. Expect to see even more advancements made by the tyre companies on their intermediate tyres, specifically Michelin, which has been weak in these conditions over the last few years.

99) Other than by driving on the track, Competitors are not permitted to attempt to alter the grip of any part of the track surface.

In theory gravel or grass brought onto the track by a driver running wide could attract a penalty, as could oil or water leaking from the cars. In reality this article was probably added to allow the race stewards to penalize any driver running on the racing line after blowing an engine, although if this is so then the wording could have been clearer.

101) Drivers taking part in practice and the race must always wear the clothes, helmets and head and neck supports specified in the Code.

Several of the drivers are unhappy about this article, with BAR's Jacque Villeneuve and Sauber's Nick Heidfeld in particular commenting on the restraint. Villeneuve has gone on record as saying that the device would have killed Pedro Diniz in his accident in the European Grand Prix in 1999. The Grand Prix Drivers Association is pressing for talks with the FIA to defer implementation of this rule because of insurance problems, but Max Mosley has told the media that "the insurance issue is a complete red herring - it is something drivers have to sort out with their helmet manufacturers and their insurance companies. Our position is very simple. You don't have to wear a HANS device, but you won't leave the pitlane in Melbourne unless you're wearing one."

114) Qualifying practice sessions will take place :

a) Two days (Monaco : three days) before the race from 14.00 to 15.00. During this session each driver will be permitted to complete only one timed lap and will leave the pit lane to complete this lap in the order of the current driver's World Championship standings (at the first Event of the 2003 World Championship this order will be determined by the finishing order of the 2002 Championship with new drivers being arranged in numerical order). The times at which cars will be permitted to leave the pits during this session will be arranged in order that each driver is able to complete his single timed lap whilst no other car is on the track.

b) The day before the race from 14.00 to 15.00. During this session each driver will be permitted to complete only one timed lap and will leave the pit lane to complete this lap in the reverse order of times achieved during the first qualifying session (the slowest driver going first). The times at which cars will be permitted to leave the pits during this session will again be arranged in order that each driver is able to complete his single timed lap whilst no other car is on the track.

The FIA issued a clarification on the new qualifying procedures, as follows:

The following procedure will be used in both qualifying sessions: - Each driver will be given 30 seconds to join the track; this will be signalled by the pit exit light turning green. The first green light will be shown at 14.00.

- As each driver starts his flying lap, other than those 5th, 10th and 15th in sequence, the pit exit light will be turned green for 30 seconds for the following driver.

- The pit exit light for the 6th, 11th and 16th cars in sequence will be turned green for 30 seconds when the previous car enters the pits after completing three laps. If the 5th, 10th or 15th car in sequence enters the pits before completing three laps the pit exit light for the following car will be turned green one minute later.

- Any driver failing to leave the pits in the allotted 30 seconds, for any reason, will not be permitted to take any further part in that qualifying session. Under these circumstances, the green light for the next car in sequence will be turned on two minutes later.

- If a car stops on its out lap, the green light for the following car will be shown when the stopped car is in a safe place. The driver waiting to go out will be given at least two minutes warning before the lights are turned green to allow him to leave the pits. The stopped driver will not be able to take any further part in that qualifying session.

- If a car stops on its flying lap red flags will be displayed around the circuit and the other car on the track must enter the pits. Under normal circumstances the pit exit light will be turned green five minutes after the signal to stop was given and the car which returned to the pits will be permitted a further attempt to qualify. The driver who has stopped will not be permitted to take any further part in that qualifying session.

Under these circumstances the car entering the pits may refuel and change tyres, five minutes will also be added to the session time.

- Other than any car required to enter the pits if the session is stopped, any car returning to the pits without completing three laps will not be permitted to join the track again. Any such car will not normally be required in the weighing area or parc ferm?. - If, in the opinion of the stewards, a driver deliberately stops on the circuit or impedes another driver in any way, his qualifying time from the relevant session will be cancelled

- If one or more cars fail to record a time during the first session they will start their second qualifying session laps in first session order reversed.

- If one or more cars fail to record a time during the second session they will start the race in second session order reversed.

- All cars entering the pits after completing three laps will be required to stop in the weighing area for technical checks. After weighing, the scrutineers will then move the cars to the central FIA parc ferm?, the procedures thereafter are laid out below.

The FIA reserve the right to amend this qualifying procedure should it become necessary in the light of experience.

As drivers will only be permitted 30 seconds to leave the pits to complete each of their qualifying runs we will permit working in the fast lane of the pits immediately before and during both qualifying sessions. Cars may only be taken to the pit exit five minutes before they are due to start their qualifying run and, under normal circumstances, we will expect any such work to be restricted to starting the engine and any associated last minute preparation.

For the avoidance of doubt, any car leaving the pits may pass another which is stationary in the fast lane but, all Team personnel working on a car in the fast lane must ensure that other cars are able to leave the pits unhindered.

The order for this coming Friday's qualifying will be:

1. M.Schumacher
2. Barrichello
3. Montoya
4. R.Schumacher
5. Coulthard
6. Raikkonen
7. Button
8. Trulli
9. Heidfeld
10. Fisichella
11. Villeneuve
12. Panis
13. Webber
14. Frentzen
15. Alonso
16. Firman
17. Pizzonia
18. Wilson
19. Verstappen
20. da Matta

The Friday session will be much faster than Saturday qualifying because the fuel loads will be lower, due to the need for race fuel loads (of varying sizes) onboard on Saturday. There will be a potential for strategy on Friday if, for example, the teams expect rain to start after Saturday qualifying begins, in which case they may run deliberately slow on Friday so as to run earlier during qualifying on Saturday.

It should be also noted that the FIA "reserve the right to amend this qualifying procedure should it become necessary in the light of experience."

115) Warm Up : a free practice session will take place the day before the race from 13.30 to 13.45.

There will be no free practice or warm up sessions on Sunday, as the cars will be in parc ferme. This will mean less to watch for spectators at the track, and less time for the teams to improve their cars, and it is unclear what effect this may have on the race.

129) Any driver whose best lap from the second qualifying practice exceeds 107% of the pole position time will not be allowed to take part in the race. Under exceptional circumstances however, which may include setting a suitable lap time in another practice session, the stewards may permit the car to start the race. Should there be more than one driver accepted in this manner, their order will be determined by the stewards.

In either case, a Team will not be able to appeal against the stewards' decision.

The 107% rule has not been removed, despite comments from Max Mosley to the contrary. Should a driver fail to be within 107% of the pole sitter (from the Saturday qualifying only), entry will still be reliant on the race stewards, as it will be if a driver doesn't complete qualifying for whatever reason. If they are allowed entry into the race, the order (if more than one) will be determined by stewards according to Friday times (if available).

131) The grid will be in a staggered 1 x 1 formation and the rows on the grid will be separated by 16 metres.

The grid will now be twice as long as before. This will cause problems in places like Monaco and Silverstone, where some of the cars will start without the ability to see the start lights. The increased distances between cars should reduce the number of first corner collisions.

136) Refueling on the starting grid may only be carried out prior to the 5 minute signal and by using an un-pressurised container, with a maximum capacity of 12 litres, which has been fitted with one or more dry break couplings connecting it to the car. Any such container may only be used once during each starting procedure.

This amount of fuel will only be enough for 2 or 3 laps, and will allow a car on minimum weight in qualifying to run some laps in the race. In reality it is unlikely that any team will run qualifying with so little fuel, and it will be used to top up the fuel load onboard after qualifying.

149) Team orders which interfere with a race result are prohibited.

This wording does not necessarily cover changes in position during the race, and teams will be able to use a second car to slow up rivals. There will, of course, still be scope for certain drivers to develop spongy brakes or other such maladies which hampered their drive and race result. It remains to be seen how effectively the FIA can police this rule, however it will probably bar blatant result rigging such as happened in Austria for the last two years.

Technical regulations:

4.1 Minimum weight: The weight of the car must not be less than 605 kg during each qualifying practice session and no less than 600 kg at all other times during the Event.

Clearly this regulation means that an additional 5kg of fuel must be onboard after qualifying, which would allow the car to complete a lap after the start, particularly in conjunction with the 12 litres that can be put on board on the grid (see article 136 above).

The following procedures do not appear in the sporting or technical regulations to date, but rather were issued as clarifications (using the pretext of safety issues rather than technical regulations, which would require approval from the teams) on the existing rules by the FIA:

Parc Ferme:

The FIA released the following clarification on the Parc Ferme procedures:

General:

The parc ferme procedure has two purposes. First, to check the cars for general conformity with the Technical and Sporting Regulations and, secondly, to ensure that in each case the car which is scrutineered, qualified and raced is one and the same. Any car which did not take part in, or complete a flying lap in the second qualifying practice session will not normally be needed in the parc ferme.

Accordingly, the cars will be deemed to be in parc ferme from the end of their qualifying lap on Saturday until the green lights are illuminated at the start of the formation lap (for clarity, in the event of a delayed start or a race stoppage we refer here only to the first formation lap).

Between these times Teams may carry out the following work:

- cooling devices may be fitted;

- bodywork may be removed and / or cleaned;

- cosmetic changes may be made to the bodywork;

- any part of the car may be cleaned;

- any parts which are removed from the car in order to carry out any work specifically permitted below must remain close to it and, at all times, be visible to the scrutineer assigned to the relevant car;

For safety reasons, no fuel may be added to or removed from the car between the second qualifying session and the race. This will avoid the danger that in a search for extra performance during qualifying, the car could be assembled in a manner which, while optimum for qualifying with a minimal fuel load, might be unsuitable or even dangerous at the start of the race.

Immediately after entering the pits:

All cars which complete a flying lap during the second qualifying practice session will be stopped in the weighing area, weighed and then held in the central parc ferme until the session is finished. The weight of the car at this time (without driver) will be used as a reference in the event of a driver using another race car and for comparison with the weight of the car immediately before the pit lane opens for the race.

Whilst the cars are being held we will allow two members from each Team (not two per car) to be in the FIA's central parc ferme at any one time for the purpose of:

- checking tyre pressures;

- connecting a jump battery under the supervision of the FIA;

- downloading data by physical connection to the car under the supervision of the FIA;

- fitting water heaters;

- changing tyres before the car is pushed back to the Team's garage. These, or any other tyres, may be used when the car is returned to the central parc ferme the same evening and back to the Team's garage on Sunday morning. The wheels and tyres used for qualifying will be marked and / or sealed by the scrutineers before being released to the Team;

- carrying out any work required by the FIA Technical Delegate. Once any such work has been carried out the Team personnel must leave the central parc ferme immediately. No other work of any kind will be permitted at this time unless deemed absolutely necessary by the FIA Technical Delegate.

Saturday afternoon:

Once the session has finished, and all preliminary checks have been carried out by the FIA, the cars held in the central parc ferme will be released simultaneously and Teams will be permitted to push them back to their garages. Cars will remain under parc ferme conditions throughout. From this point, and until 18.00, Teams will be permitted to carry out the following work under supervision of the scrutineers:

- wheels may be removed;

- removal of any parts genuinely necessary to carry out essential safety checks;

- engines may be started (an external fuel pressurising system may be used if necessary);

- with the exception of fuel, fluids with a specific gravity less than 1.1 may be drained;

- compressed gases may be drained;

- heating devices may be fitted;

- on board electrical units may be freely accessed via a physical connection to the car;

No other work will be permitted during this time unless the FIA Technical Delegate is satisfied that it is absolutely necessary and has specifically authorised it. At some time before 18.00 each Team must take any car which completed a flying lap in the second qualifying practice back to the central parc ferme, with all parts used for qualifying re-fitted (other than wheels and tyres, which if they are not fitted to the car, must be taken separately), where they will remain secure until the following day. Whilst cars are in the central parc ferme they may be covered and fitted with devices to keep them warm, no Team personnel will be permitted there unless specifically authorised by the FIA Technical Delegate.

Sunday:

At 08.00 on the day of the race, or earlier if the relevant Event timetable makes this necessary, Teams will be permitted to take their cars back to their garages where, again, they will remain under parc ferme conditions until the green lights are illuminated at the start of the formation lap. Only the following work on the cars will be permitted during this time:

- repair of bona fide accident damage;

- wheels and tyres may be removed, rebalanced, tyre pressures adjusted and tyre heating devices fitted;

- during all reconnaissance laps every car must be fitted with the same wheels and tyres as the driver used for his qualifying lap, the race must also be started with these same wheels and tyres. If one or more tyres are damaged, and are deemed unusable by the FIA Technical Delegate, they may be replaced by other tyres which have been used for a greater number of laps than the damaged ones.

- with the exception of fuel, fluids with a specific gravity less than 1.1 may be drained and / or replenished, however, no replenishment may take place less than one hour before the pit lane opens for the race. In order to ensure that fluids are not being used as ballast, and that the car is therefore being raced as it was qualified, the FIA reserves the right to weigh cars at random during the hour preceding the opening of the pit lane. When a car is weighed in this way its weight must be within 3kg of its weight at the completion of its qualifying lap ;

- draining and / or addition of compressed gases;

- on board electrical units may be freely accessed via a physical connection to the car;

- engines may be started (an external fuel pressurising system may be used if necessary);

- the main electrical battery may be changed and a jump battery connected;

- if the second qualifying practice is held in wet conditions, and warm up or race is dry (or vice versa), tyres may be changed and changes may be made to brake cooling ducts;

- if the FIA technical delegate is satisfied that changes in climatic conditions necessitate alterations to the specification of a car these may be carried out but only with his explicit approval.

Any work not listed above may only be undertaken with the approval of the FIA Technical Delegate following a written request from the Team concerned. It must be clear that any replacement part a Team wishes to fit is similar in mass, inertia and function to the original. After the work has been carried out the car must be submitted for re-scrutineering. Any parts removed will be retained by the FIA.

One scrutineer will be allocated to each car for the purpose of ensuring that no unauthorised work is carried out whilst cars are being held under parc ferme conditions. If any such unauthorised work is carried out a report will be made to the Stewards of the Meeting. A list of additional work carried out with the specific agreement of the FIA Technical Delegate will be published prior to the race.

Finally, if deemed necessary for safety reasons by the FIA Technical Delegate, changes to the set up of the suspension may be made in order to rectify any serious problem which may have been encountered during the qualifying session. However, any such changes may only be made in the pit lane during the fifteen minute period prior to the start of the first formation lap and under the supervision of the scrutineers.

Suspension and aerodynamic devices:

In order that the scrutineers may be completely satisfied that no alterations have been made to the suspension systems or aerodynamic configuration of the car whilst in post-qualifying parc ferme, it must be clear from physical inspection that changes cannot be made without the use of tools.

Traditionally, parc ferme was a small parking area under the podium, with space for only six cars. Due to the new regulations the FIA has now added an extended garage to the pit lane, where all 20 cars will be held under the watchful eyes of the FIA's scrutineers. This will cause a problem at Monaco in particular, where space is at a premium - presumably parc ferme will be in the car park where the smaller teams used to run from before the grid shrank to the current 10 teams.

Spare car:

The FIA issued the following clarification with regards to the usage of a spare car during a Grand Prix weekend:

Between 10.00 and 16.00 on the day before first practice two cars per Team will undergo initial scrutineering. No further cars will be scrutineered unless, in the opinion of the FIA Technical Delegate, one of the above two is deemed beyond repair after being damaged in an accident on the track. Any mechanical failure on one of the two cars scrutineered which occurs prior to the end of the second qualifying session will not be considered grounds for use of a spare car.

If a car is damaged beyond repair and a spare car is used between free and qualifying practice this spare car will become the relevant driver's race car. If the original car is subsequently repaired it will become the spare and be re-scrutineered if needed as laid out below.

The FIA Technical Delegate will normally carry out the bulk of the scrutineering checks on any spare car present between warm up and the race. If any cars are needed before the start of the race, final checks will be carried out and scrutineering stickers issued accordingly.

In order to ensure that no Team needing to use a spare car is disadvantaged as a result of any unforeseen delay in scrutineering, the stickers will not become valid, and no spare car may enter the pit lane, until the pit exit is closed for the race. If a driver uses a spare car under these circumstances no restrictions on fuel load will be applied and, if the FIA Technical Delegate feels it is not feasible to fit the tyres used for qualifying, tyres may be changed.

If a race car is damaged in an accident which necessitated a race stoppage within the first two laps a spare car may only be used if the FIA Technical Delegate is satisfied that the original car cannot be repaired in time for the re-start. In order that he may establish whether or not a car is damaged beyond immediate repair the scrutineering stickers already issued will be invalid from the time the race was stopped until the time at which the pit exit closes for the re-start.

In accordance with Article 156 of the Sporting Regulations any driver forced to start from the pit lane after the first start will be able to start from his original grid position at the re-start in either car.

As cars are not specifically assigned to drivers they may use either of the two cars their Team has presented for initial scrutineering. However, if a driver changes car at any time after the second qualifying practice session, he must start the race with the same amount of fuel that remained in his original car following the second qualifying session.

This will be established by weighing the car and comparing it with that taken during the second qualifying session, no variation greater than 3kg will be permitted. Furthermore, if there is any reason to suspect that a change of car was carried out systematically, or for reasons other than mechanical failure of the original car, the Team concerned will be reported to the Stewards of the Meeting under Article 149 of the Sporting Regulations.

This should save the race stewards some time, as only two cars will be scrutinised instead of 3 as previous. The spare car will only be scrutinised if a race car is damaged beyond reasonable repair, and it will only be allowed to be used at the authority of race control. This will mean that, for example, Michael Schumacher will no longer be able to choose in which car he wants to race minutes before taking to the grid.

Screens and Covers

The FIA had already banned screens and covers since the Monaco Grand Prix of 2002. However, the governing body has now issued a more explicit clarification with regards to these rules:

From the beginning of scrutineering onwards, no screen, cover or other obstruction which in any way obscures any part of a car will be allowed at any time in the garages, pit lane or grid, unless we are satisfied that any such covers are needed solely for mechanical reasons, which could, for example, include protecting against fire.

In an attempt to be clear, and in addition to the above, the following are not permitted:

- engine, gearbox or radiator covers whilst engines are being changed or moved around the garage;

- covers over the spare wings when they are on a stand in the pit lane not being used;

- parts such as spare floors, fuel rigs or tool trolleys may not be used as an obstruction.

The following are permitted:

- covers which are placed over damaged cars or components;

- a transparent tool tray, no more than 50mm deep, placed on top of the rear wing ;

- warming or heat retaining covers for the engine and gearbox on the grid;

- a rear wing cover designed specifically to protect a mechanic starting the car from fire;

- a cover over the car in the pit lane or grid if it is raining.