Formula 1 driving guidelines will be one of the main topics set be be debated in a meeting about regulations scheduled for the Qatar GP weekend.
Drivers have been invited to join FIA representatives for a discussion on how things could be done better.
Qatar was chosen in essence because it’s a much quieter weekend with a more favourable schedule than the Las Vegas event that precedes it.
Such meetings are not unusual and have become a regular occurrence, but the ongoing debate over the penalties handed out in Austin last weekend has put a spotlight on the driving guidelines.
The matter was discussed at length in Friday’s driving briefing in Mexico, in what sources describe as cordial and constructive atmosphere.
The drivers generally agree that penalties have been consistent, but they still want more clarity.
It was also widely accepted that at present the guidelines favour the defending driver, and that is likely to be part of the future discussion.
The guidelines are acknowledged by the FIA to be a work-in-progress and thus are open to change.
There is also a discussion about having them added to the FIA’s International Sporting Code for 2025, which will put a premium on honing them in the coming weeks. They would be added to Appendix L, which covers driver conduct, and already has a section for “overtaking, car control and track limits.”
It was also pointed out in the meeting that the DRS zone in Austin had been cut by 95 metres. That and a generally smaller DRS effect across the field as teams find more downforce from floors made it that much harder for drivers to launch a pass into Turn 12, and in turn led to incidents.
The subject of gravel traps was also discussed, with many drivers keen to see the sort of solution seen in Austria. COTA is looking into it, although drainage issues at the venue mean digging pits for gravel it’s not an easy answer.
Carlos Sainz is one of many drivers who wants to see such changes.
“I think we can keep going about guidelines, but for me until circuits don’t give us also a hand, it will be very difficult to erase the problem,” the Ferrari driver said on Thursday.
“I think if you put a gravel trap at the exit of Turn 12, Lando doesn’t think about braking so late and releasing the brake and happy to overtake around the outside, because he would lose two seconds and get dirt on the tyres by going around the outside.
“And Max would think twice about braking so late, risking going in the gravel himself. So if you think about it, this solution might be solved by itself, by circuit standards or circuit modifications, and we keep going around in circles with the guidelines that might be easier to be solved with certain slight changes to a track which some tracks have already performed.”
Regarding Friday’s meeting an FIA spokesperson said: “There was a general commitment to continue to update the driving standards guidelines. Bearing in mind the drivers requested the drivers’ racing guidelines and agreed to their introduction along with the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, each time they are updated it is consultation with the drivers.
“It is generally accepted that they should continue to evolve, not because of isolated incidents such as Austin, but driven by the desire to bring consistency to determinations and decisions from the stewards.”
Adam Cooper F1 