The FIA has issued a statement following what it described as the "most productive meeting" with Formula 1 drivers, aimed at addressing concerns over overtaking rules. The discussions were sparked by controversial incidents at the United States and Mexico City Grands Prix, involving title contenders Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.
Controversial Overtaking Incidents Lead to Rule Reassessment
The overtaking rules came under intense scrutiny after a series of incidents between Verstappen and Norris. At the U.S. Grand Prix, Norris was handed a five-second penalty after he was judged to have overtaken Verstappen off the track at Turn 12, despite Verstappen himself being forced wide. Norris lost his podium position as a result, and McLaren subsequently lodged a "right of review," which was rejected by the stewards.
A further incident occurred during the Mexican Grand Prix, where Norris again tried to pass Verstappen on the outside but was forced off track at Turn 4. Verstappen was penalized for this maneuver, receiving a total of 20 seconds in penalties and two penalty points after another incident at Turn 7.
In light of these events, the FIA decided to address the situation, with a meeting scheduled for the Qatar Grand Prix weekend to discuss changes to the overtaking guidelines.
Meeting Aims to Clarify Overtaking Rules
During the meeting, FIA representatives, including race director Rui Marques and chairman of the stewards Garry Connelly, sat down with drivers, team representatives, and other key figures to review the current rules around overtaking. One key issue discussed was when drivers are required to yield, particularly when approaching corners from the inside or outside.
GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers' Association) chairman George Russell expressed his support for changes, stating that the proposed adjustments were "not rocket science." While the specifics of the new guidelines have not been revealed, the FIA emphasized the productive collaboration between the governing body and the drivers during the meeting.
Final Guidelines Expected for 2025 Season
Despite the positive feedback, According to RacingNews365 the final wording of the new overtaking guidelines is still being debated. The FIA has indicated that a finalized version of the rules is expected to be implemented in time for the 2025 F1 season.
FIA statement on overtaking guidelines
"The meeting was the most productive one we've [ever] attended," said Connelly.
"The drivers were fantastic with their input. Very constructive. There was not one negative comment. There was no finger-pointing. It was very inspiring to see the world's best drivers, communicating clearly and speaking constructively on how we can improve the Driving Standard Guidelines to the benefit of the drivers and to make all of our jobs easier.
"As Stewards, we are not here to inflict pain on drivers. We're here to provide a level playing field. It's not us against the drivers, it's the drivers against the drivers and we're here to make sure everyone gets a fair go.
"We have an open-door policy. The door to the Stewards’ room is always open to any driver who wants to come up and talk to us about a decision that's been taken either in relation to them or in relation to any other driver. We think Thursday’s meeting emphasised that open-door policy.
"The Driving Standard Guidelines are a living document, so every year, as the F1 Stewards we try to meet with the drivers, sporting directors and FIA representatives, to see if we need to tweak the guidelines to use the experience of the last 12 months and see what improvements we can make to ensure consistency. The goal of the guidelines is consistency.”
"As Stewards, if drivers and teams and the FIA agree that they want rules or guidelines to allow more aggressive driving, we'll apply those rules or guidelines. Likewise, if they want stricter driving standards, we'll apply those."
Single-Seater Sporting Director Tim Malyon also discussed how incidents were broken down and discussed during the meeting, including the Verstappen-Norris incident from the United States that sparked the review.
We will always try and facilitate such meetings, because gaining the feedback, the insight of the drivers, is extremely important in allowing us to evolve the guidelines in the right direction," said Malyon.
“We've had some very constructive driver meetings at the last few races, and this was a specific meeting set up to provide the space for that dialogue to continue, so that we can have the open exchange that we need with the drivers in order to be able to evolve the guidelines for next year.
“We typically hold a meeting like that at least once a year, sometimes twice a year, depending on the topics that arise. This year we've timed this meeting following the constructive discussions in Mexico and Austin.
“As the FIA, we work continuously with circuits to evolve in many ways. Obviously, we are working on the safety aspect of circuits. But what that meeting highlighted is that there are a number of considerations on the sporting side, which we can prioritise for circuits going forward.
“As we have done this year, we introduced the gravel traps, starting in Austria, and obviously, with this weekend being perhaps the most obvious with gravel traps added in a number of places. We continue to work with circuits on all topics, but it was very useful in yesterday’s meeting to get insight into the drivers and see how they prioritise the gravel track concept, not only for track limits, but also for managing some of the situations that have arisen with overtaking during the course of the last four or five races.
"In all, there was a commitment to work together to find solutions that work for everyone."