Parc fermé is a French term meaning closed park. In Formula 1, it refers to the period and physical area where strict rules restrict what changes teams can make to a car. It begins at the end of qualifying and continues until the race starts. During this time, teams cannot make significant setup changes — only minor permitted adjustments are allowed. The parc fermé regulations ensure that the car raced on Sunday is essentially the same one that qualified on Saturday, preventing teams from making major overnight improvements.
Example: The car will go straight into parc fermé after qualifying — they won’t be able to make any setup changes before the race.
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