Changes

 Rule changes

 ECU

• A standard Electronic Control Unit (ECU) supplied by Mclaren Electronic Systems (badged as Microsoft).
• Traction Control and launch control banned along with several other electronic aids including engine braking.

Engine and gearbox

• Max Mosley (aka Da Spanking Führer) proposed an engine freeze for ten years. Later, all teams agreed to shorten the engine freeze to five years.
• Rev-limited engines, limited to 19,000 rpm in accordance with sporting code 5.1.3.
• The first unscheduled engine change of the season for each car will not lead to the usual 10 place grid penalty.
• An engine must last two consecutive race meetings, if an engine is changed before the start of qualifying, a ten place grid penalty is applied. If an engine is changed after the start of qualifying, the driver must start the race from the back of the grid. On Friday practice, teams are free to use another engine unit; should the engine coming from the previous race be used, it must be used since Saturday free practice, qualifying and then Sunday race.
• Fuel of the cars must be made up of at least 5.75% biological materials, for cars to comply with the European law on fuel composition.
• Gearboxes to last four races, 5 place grid penalty for a gear box change. If a driver does not finish a race, he is allowed to change the gearbox for the next race without receiving a penalty.

Cars

• Improved cockpit protection.
• The use of a spare car has been restricted. Each competing team will not be allowed to have more than two cars available for use at any time. In this context, a car is considered as such if it is a partially assembled survival cell, fitted with an engine, any front suspension, bodywork, radiators, oil tanks or heat exchangers.
• The weight of the car can not be less than 605kg (approximately 1,334 lbs.) at any time during the Grand Prix.

Tyres

• No driver may use more than two sets of each type of dry-weather tyre during Friday practice.
• During a Grand Prix, no driver may use more than 14 sets of dry-weather tyres, four sets of wet-weather tyres and three sets of extreme-weather tyres.
• Bridgstone will be the official tyre supplier for the 2008-2010 seasons.

Qualifying

• The first part of qualifying lengthened to 20 minutes, and final part of qualifying shortened to 10 minutes. Teams taking part in Q3 will no longer be allowed to add fuel back to the car after qualifying to eliminate 'fuel-burn' phase.
• A minimum lap time for each qualifying session has been implemented from Round 3 in Bahrain to stop cars coasting back to the pits at dangerously low speeds as seen in Round 2 in Malaysia. Both Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen were put back five grid places after the stewards decided that they had impeded Nick Heidfeld and Fernando Alonso. The minimum lap time will be different for each race. For example, it was 1:39 in Bahrain.

 Testing

• No competing team is allowed to carry out more than 30,000km (~18,640mi) of testing during the 2008 calendar year.