How does Parc Ferme work?
Rules forbid the changing of major components in Parc Ferme to avoid teams moving to create special ‘qualifying cars’ while also limiting the number of hours required for preparing the car for the following day.
However, some wriggle room on car reconfiguration is permitted to make Saturday’s FP2 session more useful.
For safety reasons, teams can change brake friction material for a new, identical set that was used in qualifying and F1 Sprint ahead of the Grand Prix. Brake ducts can be changed, too.
Allowances have been made for power unit and gearbox cooling adjustments should the ambient temperature change significantly (a change of 10C or more recorded by the FIA’s appointed weather service provider) while weight distribution may be altered.
Should a front wing be damaged in F1 Sprint, for example, and the team has run out of latest specification front wings, they can run a previously used specification without penalty. Previously a change of specification, either for a new or older component, would have triggered a penalty.
Between qualifying and F1 Sprint, teams are permitted to change or adjust suspension elements – springs and dampers – or alter camber, toe or ride height of suspension components defined in Article 10.3 of the Technical Regulations.
