The deadline for the 2021 Formula 1 Regulations is drawing closer and closer.

With only two months to go, teams must come to an agreement regarding regulations, prize money distribution and even bonuses among other things. Yet, before those regulations are implemented, let's explore what implications the FIA's upcoming regulations for the 2020 season will have on the drivers.

One of these changes will see a greater responsibility placed on drivers at the start of the race. A slew of changes to the clutch management system, for example, puts a whole new emphasis on the driver's skill rather than the car's new technology. This will be done through measures like requiring drivers to use pull-type paddle-enabled clutches and additional monitoring by the FIA to ensure that clutch signals used by the standard ECU limit advantageous mapping. The new regulations also specify that the paddles shouldn't move more than 80mm in one direction.

Furthermore, teams requesting two clutch paddles on the steering wheel will also have to undergo further inspection by the FIA to make sure that both paddles work identically. This means that there must be no deviation from what each paddle does when it comes to form, mapping and motion. Some drivers may be required to demonstrate to FIA officials that their gear is operating within regulations, to ensure compliance.

The new regulations may even force racing's top stars to rethink their strategies for courses, as the difficulty will be increased for drivers at the start of the race. Stringent regulations, like ensuring that the paddle percentage calculated by the ECU does not deviate by more than +/-5% from the physical position, will mean that there will be potential for greater variation for drivers off the line.

As he did in the Chinese Grand Prix for example, Lewis Hamilton has been known to win races by leaving his rivals for dust on the startline. In fact, bwin's post on the Azerbaijan Grand Prix odds describes how Hamilton blasted past Bottas at the start of the Shanghai race. By doing this, Hamilton was able to control the race and won with a comfortable six second lead over his Mercedes teammate. With the new regulations, F1 drivers will have to rely more heavily on their skills rather than the technical abilities of their cars.

Additional tweaks from the FIA extend to the size and position of rear-view mirrors. This is in response to the fact that some teams have exploited loopholes to manipulate the mounting and housing in order to gain a slight aerodynamic advantage. In addition, the FIA has also introduced new regulations regarding the volume of fuel outside the survival cell in order to cut down on teams saving fuel outside of the fuel tank. Teams doing this can exceed the flow limit, especially when engines demand maximum fuel flow. When the new regulations come into effect in 2020, teams can now only have 250 ml of fuel outside of the fuel tank, as opposed to the current limit of 2,000 ml.

Although technology has made strides in other areas, racing seeks to find that perfect balance between technological advancement and human skill. The performance-oriented nature of these changes, as well as past FIA changes, seems to suggest a desire from the FIA to shift racing's focus more heavily in the direction of driver expertise. While the aim of the FIA changes is to create better racing, it also translates into efforts by the governing body to get mid-grid teams closer to the top contenders by controlling costs and equalising vehicle performance.