The old '107 percent rule' will return for grands prix weekends in the 2011 season, after the FIA's World Motor Sport Council included the mothballed regulation in their new rule package announced on Wednesday.
The rule came in for the 1996 season in order to prevent drivers deemed too slow (i.e. Forti drivers) from competing in the race itself by forcing every driver to qualify within 107% of the pole position time.
Both Forti drivers, Luca Badoer and Andrea Montermini, fell foul of the rule in the first race governed by it, the 1996 Australian Grand Prix.
The rule was removed at the end of 2002 when the rules switched to single lap qualifying, but from 2011, any car outside 107% of the fastest Q1 time will not be allowed to compete.
The WMSC statement clarified that: "From 2011, any driver whose best qualifying lap exceeds 107 per cent of the fastest Q1 qualifying time will not be allowed to take part in the race.
"Under exceptional circumstances, however, which may include setting a suitable laptime in a free practice session, the stewards may permit the car to start the race. Should there be more than one driver accepted in this manner, the grid order will be determined by the stewards."
The 'exceptional circumstances' rule usually refers to mixed weather qualifying results, for example the 1999 French GP, which saw five cars, including Jordan's Damon Hill, allowed to race due to the times being spread by a rain shower.
The WMSC rulebook also included an official 'minimum lap time' for cars to complete out and in-laps within in order to ensure nobody is seen driving too slowly during qualifying.
The rule would close the loophole exploited by Lewis Hamilton in Canada this year, when he set a pole time but was unable to complete his in-lap with the fuel he had left in the car.
The 2011 WMSC rules also includes the addition of adjustable rear wings, and the scrapping of adjustable front wings, in an effort to improve overtaking.
"The driver may only activate the adjustable bodywork in the race when he has been notified via the control electronics that it is enabled," the statement explained.
"It will only be enabled if the driver is less than one second behind another at any of the pre-determined positions around each circuit. The system will be disabled the first time the driver uses the brakes after the system has been activated.
"The FIA may, after consulting all the competitors, adjust the time proximity in order to ensure the purpose of the adjustable bodywork is met."
The WMSC statement also confirmed the expected ban on F-ducts for 2011.
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