Want to Know The Meaning of Parc Ferme? Find Out Below

Have you become a follower of Formula 1 racing? We don’t know whether you’re a die-hard fan of Formula 1 racing, but we appreciate you wanting to explore parc ferme meaning.

The term parc ferme comes from a French word that means ‘closed park’; sounds good? This is defined as an area where the cars are parked and inspected after the race by the FIA official scrutineers. In addition, the main purpose behind parc ferme is to check and monitor the F1 cars to ensure a fair playground at race time.

Have you started to get the points? There’s more to come as we tend to provide you with a compact guide (or, you can say, information) about the parc ferme in this article. This will help you better understand F1 racing.

An Overview of Parc Ferme Meaning

Federation Internationale de l’Automobile is responsible for organizing and monitoring F1 racing. The popularity of F1 racing around the world is next level. FIA doesn’t keep any stone unturned to make the event as perfect as possible.

Among them, parc ferme is such an act FIA that ensures that no cars in the race can get an illegal benefit. That’s why cars participating in F1 racing need to be parked in a specialized place to remain under the eyes of FIA scrutineers.

The FIA never wants to see anyone make any major changes to the cars during the weekend of the Grand Prix. In this period, F1 teams can modify their cars for three and a half hours after qualification.

In addition, F1 teams can go to their cars for five and a half hours on the race day before the final lap. During this period, the teams can perform minor modifications (which we will discuss later) with their cars following the perc ferme regulations.

But the team must follow the rules and regulations of parc ferme condition.

According to Wikipedia,

“For example, according to the FIA Formula One regulations, the area must be sufficiently large and secure so as to prevent unauthorized access to the cars, while allowing technical checks to take place.”

In addition, there are two stages of parc ferme during Formula 1 racing. These are;

  • Pre-race parc ferme.
  • Post-race parc ferme.

Regarding pre-race parc ferme, the cars must be on parc ferme from the first time they arrive for the qualifying practice session until the start of the race.

On the other hand, in post-race parc ferme, the cars can be weighed and checked for any damage by authorized personnel after the race. Here, the cars need to be placed as close as the podium for the prizing ceremony. This allows the podium ceremony to happen efficiently.

Below is a Youtube video you can check to better understand pre- and post-race parc ferme.

What Are the Rules of Parc Ferme Conditions?

We hope you have already started to get some ideas regarding parc ferme. Parc ferme is a combined set of rules and regulations. And the prior purpose of these rules and regulations is to ensure a level playing field during racing.

In the period of parc ferme, the authorized scrutineers look after the car and check whether the cars are compatible enough for the race. To do so, the technicians use laser technology in most cases.

The F1 teams must submit the setup sheet of their cars to the FIA.  And anything included in the setup sheet about the cars is not allowed to change at any point.

However, FIA can change the rules of the parc ferme considering the condition of the location where the race takes place. But, if this happens, it also ensures a level playing field.

What Can F1 Teams Change in Parc Ferme?

Along with the authorized personnel appointed by FIA, the F1 cars’ teams can also stay in parc ferme condition.

But they can’t even touch their cars without following the rules of FIA. However, fortunately, the FIA allows the mechanics of each car to perform some minor modifications. But then again, while performing the modifications, the scrutineers need to follow the rules.

Below is the list of what modifications are allowed in parc ferme.

  • Minor front wing adjustment.
  • Changing tires.
  • Adding and removing the fuel.
  • Bleeding of brakes.
  • Changing or removing the wheel fastener.
  • Removing spark plugs of the cars.
  • Fitting heating or cooling devices.
  • Removing or cleaning radiators.

Note: Any parts removed from the cars must be put near the cars so that their FIA-authorized personnel can review the parts. There are scrutineers appointed for every car to ensure the regulations are enforced properly.

What Can’t F1 Teams Change in Parc Ferme?

Now this section is important. The tasks that F1 teams can perform are less than the ones that F1 teams can’t perform. And there are valid reasons behind this as well.

In parc ferme, the F1 teams have to leave their cars to the authorized personnel for additional checking from the internal and external parts of the cars.

Therefore, if the F1 teams are allowed to modify their car during the weekend of F1 racing, you may not feel the excitement of F1 anymore.

Therefore, the F1 teams can’t make major modifications to their cars in Parc ferme. For example, it is not allowed for the F1 teams to repair to replace the car engines. In addition, drivers also must need to be inside the Parc ferme.

However, according to GP Blog, FIA is looking forward to allowing the F1 teams to change the engines in parc ferme.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Is the Penalty for Breaking Parc Ferme?

The FIA is pretty much straightforward with the parc ferme regulation. However, in this case, if a driver or F1 team breaks the parc ferme rules, the car needs to start from the pit lane, which is pretty devastating, we would say. In addition, the violation of the rules is even more extreme; the authorized scrutineers can also call the car out of the race.

Can Drivers Leave Parc Ferme?

No, the drivers of F1 cars can’t leave the parc ferme. This means they need to stay near the time all the time. And this is one of the most significant rules of the parc ferme. After the drivers are weighed with all their gears, they can leave the parc ferme.

What Can I Change in Parc Ferme?

You can make some basic changes with your car in F1 parc ferme. For example, you can add or remove fuel from the fuel tank, clean the brakes, change tires, remove spark plugs, fit heating or cooling devices, etc. But what you need to make sure of is that you follow the parc ferme rules in all the cases.

Final Words

You know the parc ferme meaning now. Congratulations, you have taken yourself one level up in exploring Formula 1 racing. In short, the parc ferme is a set of rules that F1 drivers and teams must follow strictly. Parc ferme makes F1 racing even more exciting.

The parc ferme is not complex. It exists to create a competitive environment in F1 racing. However, some rules will change soon, the most significant being the engine. No worries; you will have further updates from us.

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