Shark fins and fuel capacity – all regulation changes for 2020. regulation changes for 2020.

While the regulations are largely remaining the same in 2020 compared to 2019 as the grid prepares for the major overhaul in 2021, there are still some changes that are worth noting.

Different testing format
The first change compared to last year is at winter testing, which starts in just over two weeks. Firstly, there is less of it this season. Rather than eight testing days in Barcelona there are just six, and in-season testing will be scrapped entirely.

Another detail that should make things more interesting during testing is that the screens, which teams put in front of their garages to keep outsiders from looking in, will be banned. Other engineers but also fans and media should be able to look into the garages now and see what’s really going on.

There could be a negative to this, however: teams could be bringing old parts to testing, comparable to what Mercedes did last year, just to throw the rest of the grid off the scent so they don’t see all the shiny new parts and potentially copy them.

Changes to the car
Unless a team finds a loophole in the regulations, the cars will look practically the same in 2020 as they did last year. There are two changes in the rules, however.

The most notable is the return of the ‘shark fin’, albeit a small one. The driver’s number has to be placed on this fin so fans have a more clear idea of who is passing them.

Furthermore, teams will have to design air vents to cool the brakes themselves from now on. A lot of teams bought them from a third party before, but they’ll have to roll up their sleeves now.

Finally, no more metals are allowed in the wing-endplates. The final five centimetres have to be made from carbon fibre. The FIA are hoping to decrease the number of punctures this way when a front wing makes contact with a tyre.

Change in proceedings
Finally, there are some things during the race weekend that will be slightly different, and how teams and drivers prepare for a race.

Checkered flag at the end of races

The traditional checkered flag was replaced by an LED screen last year at the end of races, but it wasn’t a success. At the Japanese Grand Prix, a malfunction in the software meant the race didn’t end on the end it should have. From now on, someone will physically wave a flag again.

Earlier curfew

Between Thursday and Friday, the curfew will take force an hour earlier. More sleep for the mechanics!

More lenient penalties for missing weighbridge

Drivers would get a hefty grid penalty if they were called into the weighbridge and ignored it – they had to start from the pitlane. From now on, less strict penalties can be handed out too.

One more MGU-K

The number of MGU-K units any driver can use over the season has gone up from two to three. All there is to it, really.

Less fuel can flow through the car outside of the tank

In 2020, a maximum of 250ml of fuel can flow through the car outside of the fuel tank. This 250ml can only be used for propelling the engine. This is to prevent teams to use fuel in other places to gain an advantage.