FIA revises F1 racing guidelines; Implementation aimed at in Qatar

The FIA ​​will revise the wording of its controversial racing guidelines after a meeting with Formula 1 drivers in Mexico in the wake of Max Verstappen's tactics against Lando Norris in Austin.

The governing body is understood to have accepted that changes to the guidelines were needed to close a loophole that Verstappen exploited regarding strong defense when attacked by another car, with other cases of questionable tactics also being targeted.

Motorsport.com understands it will present the proposed revisions to drivers for approval at another meeting with them in Qatar next month. Because these are guidelines, they can be applied immediately by the stewards without requiring approval from other FIA bodies.

A potential problem could be that the Grand Prix Drivers' Association signs Formula 1's racing guidelines and drivers disagree about last weekend's incidents.

Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas said on Thursday in Mexico that “some drivers are pushing the limits of the regulations even further and making it almost as if they are annoyed about it.”

The usual post-FP2 drivers' meeting for the event in Mexico took an unusually long time as, according to Motorsport.com, the FIA ​​meeting and the explanation of the penalty for Norris for overtaking Verstappen off the track late in their fight in Austin, a GPDA meeting followed.

The sports stewards of the Mexico meeting were present as usual, along with the team's sports managers and the sports representative from Formula 1 management.

During the meeting, drivers presented their views on Verstappen's activities, with some strongly siding with Norris – after the race in Austin and again at media day in Mexico, they expressed that he was “no longer the attacking car”. [Verstappen] “was” – while others felt that Verstappen’s tactics were harsh but fair under the current rules.

While achieving complete unanimity among drivers will always be a difficult task, Motorsport.com understands there is enough support at this stage to accept the policy changes before the end of the current season and after the meeting in Qatar .

In a statement released to the media, the FIA ​​said of the meeting: “There was a general commitment to further update the driving standards guidelines.”

“Considering that the riders have requested the Riders’ Racing Guidelines and agreed to their implementation together with the GPDA,” the statement continued, “any update will be a consultation with the riders.”

“It is widely accepted that they should evolve, not because of isolated incidents like in Austin, but driven by a desire to bring consistency to the decisions of the stewards.”

The last significant development of the guidelines – first introduced at the request of drivers in 2022 – is said to have taken place after the 2023 Singapore GP, and at the meeting in Mexico, despite specific disagreements, there was an overall cooperative tone to the meeting.