(CNN) -- Formula One is a sport where fine margins separate success and failure, with teams going to extreme lengths to squeeze fractions of a second out of their precision-engineered racing machines.
As a result, constructors jealously guard the secrets behind the design of their car. If those details were to fall into the hands of a rival team, it could dent a potential world championship charge.
With that in mind, the Force India team pursued Italian wind tunnel manufacturer Aerolab for £15 million ($23.6 million), eventually reduced to £13 million ($20 million), after claiming aspects of their 2009 car design had been replicated by a rival team.
What followed was a British High Court case involving Force India, Aerolab, and F1 marque Team Lotus -- now known as Caterham.
2012 Formula One teams and drivers
Australian Grand Prix: March 18, Melbourne
Formula One 2012: The circuits
The 2012 Formula One season sees the introduction of a four-hour limit for races, following last year's rain-delayed marathon in Canada. Charlie Whiting, the FIA's race director, explained the decision, telling the sport's official website: "Should four hours elapse during a future race, drivers will receive a signal telling them they have one more lap before the checkered flag."
Formula One rule changes for 2012
Aerolab initially launched a claim against Force India, run by team principal Vijay Mallya, for unpaid funds.
The case was complicated when, shortly after their split from Force India, Aerolab signed a contract to work on Lotus' 2010 car.
A statement issued by Aerolab's legal representatives on Wednesday said the company had been ordered to pay €25,000 ($39,500) in damages after work conducted during their contract with Force India had been used on Lotus' 2010 car.
The statement read: "The Honorable Mr Justice Arnold held that Aerolab's CAD designers had misused certain of Force India's confidential information as a means of taking a 'short cut' to produce a wind tunnel model which could begin to be used for testing as soon as possible.
"He further held that a small number of the relevant wind tunnel model components had found their way as full size components into the car which Caterham F1 Team (then racing under the name of Team Lotus) had raced at the beginning of the 2010 season."
It was a victory for Force India, but an expensive one. Despite ruling Aerolab had incorrectly used intellectual property, the judge also said Force India must pay €846,230 ($1.3 million) in unpaid fees.
It was also decreed that Force India's claim of "systematic copying" by Lotus, in particular chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne, was unfounded.
Force India were unavailable for comment but a statement was issued on their official website.
It said Force India will report the case to F1's global governing body, the FIA, while continuing a criminal case against Caterham team principal Tony Fernandes, Gascoyne and Aerolab owner Jean-Claude Migeot.
"The UK High Court judgment, in respect of the illegal copying, will now be referred for the consideration of Formula One's governing body," read the statement. "The Italian criminal case against Mike Gascoyne, Tony Fernandes and Jean Claude Migeot remains ongoing."
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Malaysian Grand Prix: March 25, Kuala Lumpur 
Chinese Grand Prix: April 15, Shanghai 
Bahrain Grand Prix: April 22, Sakhir 
Spanish Grand Prix: May 13, Catalunya 
Monaco Grand Prix: May 27, Monte Carlo 
Canadian Grand Prix: June 10, Montreal 
European Grand Prix: June 24, Valencia 
British Grand Prix: July 8, Silverstone 
German Grand Prix: July 22, Hockenheim 
Hungarian Grand Prix: July 29, Budapest 
Belgian Grand Prix: September 2, Spa 
Italian Grand Prix: September 9, Monza 
Singapore Grand Prix: September 23, Singapore 
Japanese Grand Prix: October 7, Suzuka 
Korean Grand Prix: October 14, Yeongam 
Indian Grand Prix: October 28, New Delhi 
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: November 4, Yas Marina 
United States Grand Prix: November 18, Austin 
Brazilian Grand Prix: Sao Paulo, November 25 
Teams can no longer use engine exhaust to produce large amounts of downforce -- a practice which has been prevalent for the last two years in the form of blown diffusers. Now exhaust pipes must exit in a defined area at the back of the car, not run along its underbelly.
Many of this year's cars feature a dramatic stepped-nose design. Whiting said this is to make sure the height of the nose was lower than the sides of the cockpit, therefore reducing the risk to the driver in the event of a collision.
In previous seasons, cars had to pass crash tests in order to compete in races. Now, cars must pass the FIA's 18 mandatory tests before the official preseason test events. "It is indefensible to have drivers testing cars in the winter that haven't met the safety standards we demand for a race," said Whiting.
As bizarre as it may sound, drivers have been told not to drive off the race track without good reason. "We've seen drivers taking shortcuts on in and out laps, either to save time or fuel," explained Whiting.
Pit stops are a crucial part of F1, and a race can be won or lost depending on how quickly the crew are able to replace a car's tires. In an attempt to save valuable time, teams have been known to power their wheel guns with compressed helium instead of air. But not anymore. "It saved fractions of a second," Whiting said. "It would have been a very expensive method of gaining no advantage."
The gulf in class between some cars means that the leading drivers often lap back-markers during a race. The safety car is deployed if there has been an accident on track or if conditions become dangerous. Drivers are not allowed to overtake each other under such conditions, but in 2012 strugglers will be able to un-lap themselves by going past the safety car and reforming at the back of the field.
Each driver is allowed 11 sets of tires to use over the course of a race weekend, but they must last through practice, Saturday qualifying and Sunday's race. Previously teams could only use three of their sets during Friday practice, but they will now be able to use as many as they like.
The highlight of any grand prix is seeing drivers attempt daring, fast-paced overtaking maneuvers. But now, when a driver has someone behind them, they are allowed to make only one defensive move to protect their position. This rule is to prevent potentially dangerous blocking strategies.
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