Components 1’s controversial racing pointers will not change till the 2025 season, Motorsport.com can reveal.
The subject has been an enormous dialogue level as the present marketing campaign has performed out – with the FIA committing to reassessing the ‘Driving Requirements Tips’ doc that informs stewards’ selections on contentious racing strikes after Max Verstappen’s late-race conflict with Lando Norris at america Grand Prix.
On the following spherical in Mexico Metropolis, it was agreed with the drivers that the FIA would have a look at the particular wording of the rules and what situations they’re creating, and the governing physique would current its findings to the drivers at this weekend’s penultimate 2024 occasion in Qatar.
After this hour-long assembly passed off on the finish of the race’s pre-event media day on Thursday, Mercedes racer and Grand Prix Drivers’ Affiliation director, George Russell prompt the one proposed change involved “a line of regulation that claims the within driver wants to depart room to the man on the skin from the apex to the exit” and added “I believe that is going to be getting binned off”.
On the identical time, Russell mentioned “I hope it will be from this weekend onwards”.
Nonetheless, Motorsport.com understands that given the scope of concepts mentioned on Thursday, the FIA is continuous its evaluation of the rules to bear in mind the driving force’s newest suggestions.
The proposal to make clear what a driver attacking on the within can do relating to leaving a rival house on the skin is certainly set to be modified, however FIA sources point out there are additionally further revisions to the foundations deliberate too.
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, battles with Max Verstappen, Crimson Bull Racing RB20
Picture by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Pictures
From the drivers’ perspective, these primarily centre on how sure circuits – akin to Austin – have big runoff areas that imply very aggressive techniques figuring out could be deployed given there is no such thing as a exhausting restrict to break vehicles if issues go flawed.
This yr, the FIA has improved some such problematic corners by becoming small strips of gravel – which could be detachable to assist circuits that additionally host MotoGP racing, such because the Crimson Bull Ring – and a extra widespread utilization of this technique is now into consideration.
On the identical time, it stays doable that the loophole within the pointers that Verstappen has been exploiting – by re-attacking when being overtaken to make sure his wheels are forward on the apex, the crucial think about the best way the rules are at the moment written no matter line positioning – will now be closed for the 2025 season.
The chance that no adjustments could be made earlier than the 2024 marketing campaign concluded was thought doable again in Mexico primarily based on how the FIA introduced this as a collaborative effort with the drivers.
However given there is only one spherical remaining earlier than the present season concludes, Motorsport.com understands it has been agreed that it’s prudent to implement the rule of thumb adjustments for the beginning of the 2025 championship as a substitute.
Gary Connelly, chairman of the F1 stewards, highlighted the united nature of the Qatar assembly in an FIA assertion provided to Motorsport.com.
George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Group
Picture by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Pictures
This follows a suggestion made by Russell and Norris again in Mexico that solely Verstappen had objected to the necessity to change the rules again, one thing the Dutchman firmly rebuffed on Thursday.
“As stewards, if drivers and groups and the FIA agree that they need guidelines or pointers to permit extra aggressive driving, we’ll apply these guidelines or pointers,” mentioned Connelly.
“Likewise, if they need stricter driving requirements, we’ll apply these.
“The driving commonplace pointers are a dwelling doc, so yearly, because the F1 stewards we attempt to meet with the drivers, sporting administrators and FIA representatives, to see if we have to tweak the rules to make use of the expertise of the final 12 months and see what enhancements we are able to make to make sure consistency.
“The aim of the rules is consistency. The assembly on Thursday night right here in Doha, was the most efficient one we have attended.
“The drivers had been unbelievable with their enter. Very constructive. There was not one destructive remark. There was no finger-pointing.
“It was very inspiring to see the world’s finest drivers, speaking clearly and talking constructively on how we are able to enhance the driving commonplace pointers to the advantage of the drivers and to make all of our jobs simpler.”
Max Verstappen, Crimson Bull Racing, and Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Group, in Parc Ferme after Qualifying
Picture by: Mark Sutton
In a nod to the bitter discourse that has adopted Verstappen and Norris clashing a number of occasions over the course of the 2024 season, in addition to paying homage to the poisonous social media chatter within the 2021 marketing campaign, Connelly was additionally moved to remind F1 followers that “as stewards, we’re not right here to inflict ache on drivers”.
“We’re right here to offer a degree enjoying discipline,” he added. “It isn’t us in opposition to the drivers, it is the drivers in opposition to the drivers and we’re right here to ensure everybody will get a good go.
“We have now an open-door coverage. The door to the stewards’ room is at all times open to any driver who desires to come back up and discuss to us a couple of choice that is been taken both in relation to them or in relation to some other driver.
“We expect Thursday’s assembly emphasised that open-door coverage.”
Connelly additionally outlined the brief historical past of the DSG doc, which was first launched on the urging of the drivers for the beginning of the 2022 season, with earlier critiques into its wording coming on the finish of that marketing campaign and in 2023.
“Up till 2017 there have been only a few driving commonplace rules within the FIA system,” mentioned the Australian.
“They primarily existed in one of many appendices of the Worldwide Sporting Code. So, it was very tough for the stewards to use the rules as a result of they had been very, quite simple rules.
“A few of them date again to 1954 when the code was shaped and have not modified a lot since.
“Then in late 2018, the strategy known as ‘allow them to race’ was launched, the place we adopted a extra hands-off strategy and tolerated extra aggressive driving kinds.
Learn Additionally:
“Nonetheless, it reached the stage in late 2021 when the drivers had been saying: ‘look, we wish to have extra exact understanding of what we are able to do and what we won’t do.’
“Due to this fact, a really primary set of pointers was launched in early 2022.
“Since then, we’ve got had a number of conferences to debate how the wording of these pointers wanted to be amended to make them extra comprehensible and relevant.”
In regard to the extra circuit adjustments and the position of sure nook layouts in contentious driver strikes, FIA single-seater sporting director Tim Malyon mentioned: “Because the FIA, we work constantly with circuits to evolve in many alternative methods.
“Clearly, we’re regularly engaged on the protection facet of circuits.
“However what that assembly highlighted is that there are a variety of issues on the sporting facet, which we are able to prioritise for circuits going ahead.
“As we’ve got executed this yr, we launched the gravel traps, beginning in Austria, and clearly, with this weekend [in Qatar] being maybe the obvious with gravel traps added in a in numerous locations.
“We proceed to work with circuits on all subjects, however it was very helpful in Thursday’s assembly to get the perception of the drivers and see how they prioritise the gravel observe idea, not just for observe limits, but additionally for managing among the conditions which have arisen with overtaking in the course of the course of the final 4 or 5 races.
“In all, there was a dedication to work collectively to search out options that work for everybody.”
On this article
Alex Kalinauckas
Components 1
Be the primary to know and subscribe for real-time information electronic mail updates on these subjects
Subscribe to information alerts
