" The test programme has been changed: Friday goes back to being a free test session day with two sessions of an hour each, between 11 and 12 and between 2 and 3. The free sessions continue on Saturday morning with two sessions from 10.00 until 10.45 and then from 11 until 12. Qualifying begins on Saturday from 2 o'clock. This is divided into two parts, with a two-minute break in the middle.

"The qualifying logic remains the same as last year: during the first part the driver runs a lap against the clock and the final classification decides the order for the second part of the qualifying session - the one that will decide the starting grid. But there is one difference: last year in the Friday qualifying session the first driver to take the track was the was the man who led the championship overall. In order to avoid the risk of the same driver always opening qualifying on a dirty track that could condition his lap, this year, the qualifying order will be based on the finishing order of the previous race (here in Australia it will be the last year’s final race, the Japanese Grand Prix).The race will be run on Sunday at 2pm (all times referred to are local times).

"Another notable change regards the Friday free practice sessions. For every team, apart from the first four in last year’s classification (Ferrari, Williams, McLaren, Renault), a third driver can be used. This third driver has to be different from the one chosen by the team for the actual race, he has to hold a Super Licence, and he has not been a nominated driver for a F1 team in more than six World Championship Events during the two previous World Championships.

"However, the most important modification regards the engine: each driver is only allowed to use one engine for the whole Grand Prix weekend. The use of another engine carries the punishment of dropping back ten places on the starting grid if made before the Saturday qualifying session; if made after the final qualifying session the driver will have to begin from the back of the grid.

"This change will obviously alter the way drivers approach qualifying. If the car stalls during the first part of the qualifying session on Saturday it cannot be used in second part. The driver could switch to a new car but this means using a new engine and so carries with it the sanction of losing ten places on the grid. Even if the driver manages to get the car immediately into the pit lane, this in itself, according to the regulations, means that the car has to remain in parc fermé until the end of the session."

Click here to return to the Ferrari Happenings page.