There will be no immediate changes to the driving standards guidelines document for the final two rounds of the championship, the governing body confirmed in its statement. The list of recommendations for FIA stewards will remain as is for now.
The much-anticipated meeting took place at the Losail circuit on Thursday night ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix. As expected, the discussion centred around the driving-standards guidelines, which triggered a lot of debate this season – particularly after several controversial decisions.
The driving standards guidelines were introduced in 2022 with the aim of achieving greater consistency in stewarding. Earlier this year, it was made public to improve transparency and help fans better understand the principles behind stewards’ decisions.
However, drivers have often criticised the document and its implementation. While the guidelines are not rules but reference points for stewards, many feel that in practice decisions are made strictly according to the written definitions rather than actual racing physics and practicalities – leading to outcomes they believe do not fit the incident.
“Today we are really sticking to the book,” Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc said ahead of the meeting. “And that makes it difficult to have common sense sometimes in specific situations.”
What incidents were discussed?
The FIA statement did not go into much detail but offered a glimpse of what was reviewed during what it described as a “frank, open and collegial” discussion. Five incidents from this season were addressed, the most recent being the clash at Interlagos between Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Oscar Piastri and Leclerc. Piastri’s 10-second penalty, issued during the race, was widely seen by drivers as unjustified, even though stewards specified it aligned with the guidelines.
Two other incidents that resulted in crashes were also discussed. One was the Carlos Sainz–Liam Lawson clash at Zandvoort, for which Sainz was given a 10-second penalty that Williams later overturned through protest. The other was the Monza collision involving Oliver Bearman and Sainz, for which Bearman was penalised.
Both incidents highlighted concerns that applying the guidelines too rigidly can lead to decisions drivers view as incorrect, since much of the document focuses on car positioning on corner entry relative to a competitor. One major criticism is that the guidelines effectively prompt drivers to “race to the apex” just to be on the right side of the wording.
Two further cases were related to track limits. The group reviewed the Leclerc-Max Verstappen incident in Mexico concerning “leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage”, and the Austin incident between Lando Norris and Leclerc, discussing whether leaving the track during an overtaking attempt should count as a breach.
What were the conclusions?
There is no clear plan yet on how the guidelines may be modified. The FIA underlined that “data from the past three seasons” shows the guidelines “have contributed to greater consistency” in stewarding, supported by detailed analysis from teams. It also noted that the current version of the document “has been reviewed and agreed with the GPDA”, stressing that drivers themselves were involved in the process of developing the document they now often criticise.
The FIA listed four main takeaways. One was a “clear preference” for stewards to delay certain decisions – when not all relevant elements are available – until after the race, allowing them to hear from drivers. This was a point raised by Sainz after Zandvoort.
Another takeaway was a shared view that the guidelines cannot cover every scenario, underlining the importance of having an experienced driver-steward on each panel. Despite several drivers calling for permanent stewards, the FIA made no reference to whether this was discussed.
While the FIA president and the GPDA have in the past shown broad agreement on the question of having permanent, professional stewards, they disagree on the matter of who should pay for them.
The other two points concerned a stronger emphasis on respecting yellow flags and discussions on additional measures to enhance safety, as well as a review of blue-flag procedures, including potential additions to clarify expected behaviour from lapped cars.
Whether there will be further changes to the guidelines after the end of the 2025 season remains unclear.
Read and post comments