Although ‘Parc Ferme’ is one of the most commonly used terms in F1, not many know what it means. In a recent video uploaded by the FIA on social media, technical team scrutineer Matthew Bold explained what it means for cars to be in ‘Parc Ferme’.
Since the FIA has very strict rules about how teams need to field the same car during both qualifying and the race, they keep all 20 cars under ‘Parc Ferme’ shortly after Q3 finishes. After Q3 finishes, Bold revealed that the FIA weighs all the cars to ensure that they meet the requirements.
Have you ever heard of Parc Fermé in F1?
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Once they have done so, they send all the cars back to the garages for two hours. This is the only time that the teams have to make any last-minute changes before the race. Once this time is over, all cars are kept in ‘Parc Ferme’.
During ‘Parc Ferme,’ all the cars are kept in a secure area under the supervision of an FIA scrutineer. During this time, no team is permitted to make any changes to their cars.
How long does ‘Parc Ferme’ last?
In order to ensure that no team works on their cars during ‘Parc Ferme,’ the FIA has installed cameras in the garages of every team and monitors them even at night. Any team wanting to work on their cars during ‘Parc Ferme’ are permitted to do so, but then their driver needs to start the race from the pitlane.
However, it is pertinent to note that ‘Parc Ferme’ regulations do not end as soon as the race is finished. The FIA also carries out post-race checks before they release the official classifications.
It was indeed a post-race check during ‘Parc Ferme’ conditions that resulted in George Russell getting disqualified from the Belgian Grand Prix. After the FIA carried out their checks, they deemed his car to be underweight by 1.5 kgs.
