World Council approves USGP date, 2007 calendar, new Safety Car procedures
2007 United States Grand Prix fans will see more Formula One practice action Friday, June 15 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway due to new rules ratified Oct. 18 by the World Motor Sport Council.
F1 cars will be on track for three hours, split into two 90-minute practice sessions, on Fridays at all Grands Prix in 2007. That’s up from two hours, split into two 60-minute sessions, in 2006.
In another bonus for fans, the rules that limit F1 teams to one engine every two races will apply only to Saturday and Sunday on race weekends in 2007. Teams will have even more incentive to turn laps during Friday practice, as they won’t have to restrict mileage to conserve engines.
The two team race drivers and a nominated third test driver are eligible to practice Friday, but a team can only use two cars during these sessions.
The World Motor Sport Council also instituted new Safety Car rules for 2007.
When the Safety Car is deployed, lapped cars between cars running on the lead lap will pass those cars and the Safety Car and move to the rear of the field for the restart. This will put all lead-lap cars nose-to-tail on the track, allowing those drivers to resume duels for position immediately after the restart without interference from lapped cars.
The United States Grand Prix race date of Sunday, June 17 also was approved by the World Motor Sport Council. The USGP is the seventh event on the 17-race schedule in 2007. The season starts March 18 in Australia, and the Canadian Grand Prix on June 10 precedes the USGP, creating another North American F1 double-header.
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2007 USGP tickets: Three-day “Season Passes” for the 2007 United States Grand Prix, June 15-17, are on sale for $60 to all customers. All other reserved seats will go on sale Wednesday, Nov. 1.
Ticket information can be found any time at indianapolismotorspeedway.com or by calling the IMS Ticket Office at (800) 822-4639 or (317) 492-6700. Ticket Office hours are from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday-Friday.
