FIA regulations state that teams may have no more than two cars available for use at any one time. Spare cars are no longer allowed, though teams may bring additional chassis which can be built up in the event of a race chassis being damaged beyond repair.

If a driver switches car between qualifying and the race then he must start the race from the pit lane. A change of car is not allowed once the race has started.

There are also restrictions on engine and gearbox use. Each driver may use no more than eight engines during a championship season. Should a driver use more than eight engines, he will drop 10 places on the starting grid of the event at which an additional unit is to be used.

Each driver may use no more than one gearbox for five consecutive events. Every unscheduled gearbox change will require the driver to drop five places on the grid at that meeting. Every subsequent unscheduled gearbox change will require the driver to drop five places on the grid.

If a driver fails to finish a race due to reasons beyond his or his team's control, he may start the next meeting with a different gearbox without incurring a penalty.

For 2011 only, each driver gets one penalty-free gearbox change, with the replacement box only required to complete the remainder of the event where the change was made, which cannot be the final event of the season.