F1 News: FIA to tweak racing guidelines after Norris penalty drama

(GMM) F1’s governing body has promised disgruntled drivers that changes to the racing guidelines will be made before the end of the season.

The move follows a long and intense FIA driver briefing in Mexico, in the wake of Lando Norris’ controversial 5-second penalty for passing Max Verstappen off the track a week ago in Austin.

Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 and Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren MCL38 Mercedes battle for position during the F1 Grand Prix of United States at Circuit of The Americas on October 20, 2024 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

McLaren tried to appeal the penalty in Mexico, but the FIA rejected the ‘right of review’ because the team lacked new evidence. “We will continue to work closely with the FIA to further understand how teams can constructively challenge decisions that lead to an incorrect classification of the race,” the Woking-based team said in response.

McLaren’s basic argument was that while Verstappen technically reached the apex before Norris, he only did that because he never intended to actually take the corner normally.

“He would not have been ahead of me at the apex if he had braked where he should have and stayed on the track,” Norris said. “Many other drivers and teams did not agree (with Verstappen’s driving) either.”

The controversy sparked calls for permanent stewards, with 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve calling the current officials at each race “real amateurs”.

Title contenders Verstappen and Norris, although friends off the track, are understood to have exchanged barbs in the driver briefing in Mexico.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who said earlier that “both” Norris and Verstappen were “guilty” of offenses in Austin, called the FIA briefing “positive and productive”.

“I think a lot of drivers opened up about how they felt about each situation and what we think is the best way forward,” he said.

“I think in Qatar we will have some solutions for the driving guidelines that the stewards are going to apply penalties with. Hopefully, they will offer better understanding for the driver and better racing in general.”

An FIA spokesman confirmed to De Telegraaf newspaper: “There was a general commitment to continue updating the guidelines.

“Given that the racing guidelines were developed in conjunction with the drivers’ union, any updates are made in consultation with the drivers. Not because of isolated incidents such as Austin, but driven by the desire to bring consistency to the stewards’ determinations and decisions.”

Grand Prix Drivers’ Association boss Alex Wurz backed the moves.

“We appreciate having a conversation to make the decisions more consistent,” he said. “There is already consistency, but we collectively see that there is room for improvement.

“Nobody wants to see too many rules, and we want to see good racing action, and the general feeling is that we will improve the racing guidelines for 2025.”