Originally Posted by Liamforking:
“No, a change in gear ratios does not equate to a new gearbox. Teams alter the gear ratios during free practice and these ratios only have to be 'locked-in' before qualifying starts and parc ferme rules take effect.”
Worth mentioning, as well, that apparently all teams decide on what gear ratios they plan to use at each race BEFORE the start of the season.
They can't just bring a box of gears and put it all together however they like during the race weekend.
That was, apparently, the reason why Lewis Hamilton's car was so horribly under-geared at Spa. Somebody got the sums wrong.
TBH, I dunno what effect this has on the whole "gearbox rule" though.
I dunno if, for example, the teams put together gear-trains that are, somehow, sealed by the FIA or whether the individual gears have serial numbers which're checked.
Given that the gear ratios ARE pre-assigned at the start of the season, I guess they take gearboxes with THOSE ratios in to each race and that's their lot.
I suppose there's always the worry that teams might replace worn internal parts between races but I guess that'd be easy enough to police by putting the gearboxes in crates with an FIA seal on them so they can't be tampered with except at races, where they're under FIA scrutiny.