1996 Formula 1.5 Season

The 1996 Formula 1.5 season was the 47th running of the Formula 1.5 World Championship. Rubens Barrichello won his second title, scoring 69 points for Jordan who would would also claim the Constructors' Championship with 123 points.

## Entries

The F1.5 field had diminished slightly from 1995 to 1996. McLaren had decided their '95 season hadn't worked out, having lost the championship by just 5 points, so for 1996 they left the category once again. The Pacific team that had been introduced in 1994 ran out of money over the winter and would not race again, while the already-defunct operations of Larrousse and Simtek also failed to re-materialise.

Johnny Herbert is back in F1.5, having been out for 1995, while other drivers make their debuts - Fisichella and Rosset. The team to watch has to be Jordan, though. Disappointing though their season was in 1995, they often showed a lot of pace. A year's experience with the Peugeot engine ought to make the difference, as well as their dual-champion lineup in Barrichello and Brundle.

### Mid-season changes

* Due to his commitments with Alfa Romeo in the International Touring Car Championship, Giancarlo Fisichella missed several races for Minardi. European Formula 3000 driver Tarso Marques raced at the Brazilian and Argentine Grands Prix, while Giovanni Lavaggi, who had raced for Pacific in 1995, replaced the pair of them from the German Grand Prix onwards due to his superior financial backing.
* Forti were declared bankrupt after the British Grand Prix, leaving both their drivers out of a drive. Luca Badoer would eventually return to F1 in 1999 with Minardi, after a spell in the FIA GT Championship, while Andrea Montermini became a test driver for the short-lived Lola team in 1997.

## Calendar

### Calendar Changes

On 13 October 1996 the Pacific Grand Prix (held at the TI Circuit, Aida in 1994 and 1995) was to be held at the Sentul International Circuit in Indonesia but it was cancelled as the corners were deemed too tight and unsuitable.

## Rule Changes

The race weekend schedule was changed for the 1996 season compared to 1995. The number of free practice sessions was increased from the two to three with the number of laps allocated for each day increased from 23 to 30. Also, to increase the spectacle, the Friday qualifying session was dropped, with the FIA World Motor Sport Council opting to have only one qualifying session, held on Saturday afternoon.

The previous system of having a red and green light to start the race was replaced by the current system of five red lights turning on sequentially, then all going out simultaneously after an indeterminate period of time to start the race.

This year saw the introduction of the "107% rule", which meant all cars had to be within 107% of the pole position time in order to qualify for the race.

A new numbering system for cars was adopted for 1996 and remained in place until the end of 2013, when a new system was introduced. Previously, the reigning Drivers' Champion's team had simply swapped car numbers with the previous Drivers' Champion's team to carry numbers 1 and 2, with all other teams retaining their existing numbers. For 1996 the reigning Drivers' Champion was given number 1 and his teammate number 2 with the rest of the teams numbered in the order of their finishing position in the previous year's Constructors' Championship. Any new teams were allocated the following numbers.

In 1995, the cars' cockpit opening had been made larger and the sides had been raised in order to provide better head protection for the driver; these sides were raised even higher (to mid-helmet height) for 1996, along with a wraparound head restraint made of foam to prevent head injuries.

## Results & standings

### World Drivers' Championship standings

Points were awarded on a 10–6–4–3–2–1 basis for the first six positions in each race.