Modifications to Method 1’s racing tips overlaying attacking strikes on inside traces are anticipated following a prolonged assembly with the drivers forward of the Qatar Grand Prix.
The FIA dedicated to reassessing F1’s ‘Driving Requirements Tips’ that inform stewards’ selections on contentious racing strikes in addition to how the drivers go about implementing their manoeuvres, following Max Verstappen’s battle with Lando Norris at Austin final month.
The FIA determined it will current its findings to the drivers at this weekend’s Qatar spherical, after that they had collectively agreed modifications had been wanted across the circumstances of the Crimson Bull driver’s strikes in opposition to his McLaren rival.
The rationale for coming again to the drivers earlier than the 2024 season concluded was to get their subsequent suggestions on the proposed modifications, in addition to getting them examined in race conditions.
The assembly occurred at 7.30pm native time in Qatar on Thursday – as an alternative of the same old post-FP2 slot for the everyday drivers’ assembly due to the dash format this weekend – and lasted practically an hour. This was longer than many groups had been anticipating, as it’s understood the discussions lined a prolonged vary of racing eventualities and concepts for enhancements.
However Mercedes driver George Russell – the one currently-racing director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Affiliation – stated afterwards: “The principle dialogue was about overtaking.”
George Russell, Mercedes-AMG F1 Crew
Photograph by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Photos
“Lots of drivers are aligned that if you’re the overtaking automotive on the within, rule primary is you may have to have the ability to keep on the circuit,” he continued, when requested by Motorsport.com if Verstappen’s Austin techniques had been closed off on account of the assembly.
“Should you’re in a position to keep on the circuit, you might be in your proper to run the driving force huge, because it has been for all of us since go-karting: in case you’re overtaking someone on the within, you’ve got acquired the appropriate to run them huge.”
He later added: “Proper now there’s a line of regulation that claims the within driver wants to go away room to the man on the skin from the apex to the exit. […] I believe that is going to be getting binned off and I hope it should be from this weekend onwards.”
“It was fairly productive,” Russell stated of the assembly general. “I believe all of us agree that the rules, they do not want large modifications. I believe they simply want the odd sentence eliminated or adjusted.
“However I believe all people’s clear with what occurred in Austin, what ought to have been a penalty, what occurred in Mexico [where Verstappen was sanctioned twice for his subsequent moves against Norris] was rightly penalised.
“And customarily talking, over the course of the yr, I believe the selections have been fairly good. It was simply most likely Austin that was the outlier. So, yeah, simply effective tweaks.”
Kevin Magnussen, Haas VF-24, Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-24, Daniel Ricciardo, RB F1 Crew VCARB 01
Photograph by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Photos
When Verstappen confronted the media shortly after Russell, he stated: “The principle downside is the tracks that permit these type of issues. […] In case you have gravel, that really stops you from doing issues that – taking a bit extra threat than regular.”
Russell stated of this: “We additionally concluded that the majority of those points are right down to the circuits.
“We spoke about plenty of the problems in Austin. I believe a number of the overtakes would not have even been tried had there been gravel there similar to, Austria Flip 4 – the downhill right-hander. You are going to go within the gravel in case you go in 1-2% over the restrict.
“Silverstone, at Stowe there was clearly a terrific race in a few years in the past with Lewis [Hamilton] and Checo [Perez] and Charles [Leclerc, in 2022]. Finally everybody was off the monitor, however that is as a result of the monitor allowed you.
“The circuits are the basis trigger and the rules are type of like an interim repair that we have to agree on till we will get the entire circuits in a correct method.”
When pressed on what the assembly meant for the rules relating to a driver overtaking on the skin, Russell replied: “I believe the overtaking guidelines on the skin won’t be altering a lot and I do not suppose we have actually seen a lot of an issue [with that].”
Max Verstappen, Crimson Bull Racing RB20, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, battle into flip 1, as Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24 overtakes Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24
Photograph by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Photos
Hamilton revealed the size of the discussions on Thursday night time when he said “there was discuss of, like, a warning” being issued to drivers that went in opposition to the racing guidelines – much like such guidelines in different sports activities. “That is principally like yellow card in your hand, you recognize you are gonna have that one warning,” he added.
However the seven-time world champion defined that the drivers had agreed this was a non-starter, as “in case you waited for the final race of the yr to utilise your one warning, that does not work”.
“So, we’re simply working away collectively,” he continued. “I believe simply from that assembly we undoubtedly will likely be shifting in the appropriate path.”
Hamilton additionally stated “that is the very best assembly I might say we’ve had” on such issues, which displays recommendations from Motorsport.com sources that the temper of the assembly was constructive general.
And when Russell’s remark from Mexico that “19 out of 20 drivers stated, ‘effectively, if it is incorrect, make the change in the present day’” was put to Verstappen, given the implication that he was the one driver to object to such a suggestion following the Austin race, he responded by saying on Thursday: “No, it was not the case that it was only one explicit driver agreeing or disagreeing with sure issues.”
A public assertion on the outcomes of the assembly is anticipated to be issued on Friday in Qatar.
On this article
Alex Kalinauckas
Method 1
Be the primary to know and subscribe for real-time information e mail updates on these subjects
Subscribe to information alerts
