Will the FIA’s suggested change to F1’s racing guidelines solve the main problem?

Whereas the headline information across the FIA because the Qatar Grand Prix acquired below means coated extra staffing turmoil, the governing physique’s efforts on revising System 1’s racing guidelines was an altogether optimistic affair.

“That is the perfect assembly I might say we’ve had,” was Lewis Hamilton’s evaluation of the one-hour assembly involving the officers and the drivers.

Based mostly on George Russell’s remark that “simply once we’ve requested for a little bit of transparency and consistency, we’re eliminating two extremely necessary folks within the governing physique”, following the information that Formula 2 race director Janette Tan being was dismissed and senior steward Tim Mayer had been dropped, it appears the drivers are nonetheless exasperated with unexplained adjustments on the governing physique.

However they’re happy they’re being listened to in different areas, with the outcomes of the dialogue on F1’s racing guidelines within the aftermath of Max Verstappen’s strikes in opposition to Lando Norris in Austin and Mexico Metropolis again in focus.

Now that the FIA has introduced its findings into the reassessment of the present ‘Driving Requirements Tips’ doc – as promised again on the Mexican GP – the drivers had been inevitably tight-lipped on what the proposals meant for his or her racing techniques. That is comprehensible given the necessity to keep away from sign-posting battle intentions {that a} rival might internalise and in the future use in opposition to them.

Russell’s place as the one director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Affiliation at present racing means his phrases carry added significance on this debate, however he was additionally the primary to talk to the F1 press corps as soon as the assembly that overran its allotted timeframe had completed.

The Mercedes driver revealed “there’s 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 and I hope it should be from this weekend onwards.”

Concerning outdoors line assaults, he stated: “I believe the overtaking guidelines on the skin won’t be altering a lot and I do not assume we have actually seen a lot of an issue [with that].”

When pressed on the specifics of essentially the most contentious strikes within the 2024 F1 season – Verstappen turning defence into assault on the within line at Flip 12 at Austin and Flip 4 in Mexico, in each situations in opposition to Norris – neither Russell nor Hamilton gave something away, with the seven-time world champion talking instantly after his team-mate.

When requested about his actions in these much-discussed strikes once more on Thursday in Qatar after the Mercedes pair had spoken, Verstappen deflected – arguing the issue as a substitute lies with the monitor design.

However the revelation up to now that the one proposed adjustments to the rules will concern attacking strikes from a driver racing on an inside line is in itself regarding. It will theoretically cease a driver being overtaken on the skin from persevering with preventing to the extent they make it seem like they’ve been run out of street and deserve a penalty, when the cross was truly clear.

However the principle downside with the rules as they at present stand is that they depart open the encouragement for a driver who’s being overtaken, when defending on the within, to race to ensure they’ve their wheels forward on the apex.

This consequently then means their rival on the skin isn’t entitled to house by the letter of the rule of thumb, however it creates the contentious situations witnessed notably within the Verstappen/Norris Austin Flip 12 conflict.

Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, battles with Max Verstappen, Crimson Bull Racing RB20

Photograph by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Photographs

Comparisons with Verstappen defending in the identical method in opposition to Hamilton on the 2021 Brazilian GP – albeit at a lot increased velocity – get up, even after the rules had been launched in 2022 following a earlier push from the drivers on the matter.

However solely transferring to vary the wording of a distinct state of affairs suggests such techniques will now stay technically authorized, though there’s a robust argument that they go in opposition to sporting equity. Permitting that ambiguity to stay would imply essentially the most debated racing parts of 2024 might be repeated.

The opposite query on what has been proposed is whether or not the change relating to attacking on the within would come into drive earlier than the 2024 season ends, as this was a part of the rationale why the FIA wished to report again to the drivers in Qatar.

Russell’s phrases above counsel that agency settlement on this was not reached on Thursday.

Motorsport.com understands that the FIA is planning to launch an announcement on the outcomes of the assembly on Friday, which raises expectations that closure can nonetheless be reached. FIA sources have additionally indicated that the governing physique and the drivers are dedicated to working collectively to carry readability to the rules and the officiating selections that stem from them.

Nevertheless it stays to be seen if this implies publishing the up to date pointers publicly, as beforehand this has been denied to keep away from a social media pile-on within the aftermath of clashes.

Thus far, the drivers appear to be joyful, but when they agreed to the proposed adjustments, it might then be disingenuous to query the principles the following time there’s a flashpoint.