Considering that the majority of Russian racing drivers have returned home as a result of the FIA’s position on the crisis in Eastern Europe, former Formula 1 driver Vitaly Petrov thinks that motorsport in Russia has “grown stronger” since the onset of that conflict.
FIA has taken action to crack down on F1 drivers who attempt to make political remarks at grand prix events without permission with the addition of a new article to the International Sporting Code.
Shaila-Ann Rao will step down from her position six months after her controversial nomination as the FIA’s interim secretary general for motorsport.
On Monday it was determined that Red Bull had violated one minor financial regulation in FIA’s budget cap report for 2021
Red Bull claims they are “surprised and disappointed” by the FIA budget cap report findings, which show that the team exceeded the 2021 financial cap by a minor fraction
The FIA found Red Bull and Aston Martin in violation of the 2021 budget cap regulations, while Aston Martin violated a procedural rule
The FIA will announce if any teams have been found guilty of exceeding the 2021 budget cap on Monday.
A compromise deal to raise the cars’ floor edges by 15mm has been struck with the FIA after some F1 teams have suffered with bouncing so far in 2022.
For the 2023 technical regulations, the FIA has proposed four significant adjustments in an effort to curtail and eventually do away with porpoising in Formula 1.
The official scrutineering submission now includes checks on whether or not drivers are wearing jewellery and FIA-approved underwear.
Although Formula One has only recently entered a new age, the FIA has already begun planning for the next big regulatory changes, which will take place in 2026.
The FIA has now made it plain that ‘all’ lapped cars must un-lap themselves before a restart.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been elected as the new International Automobile Federation President replacing Jean Todt. The FIA confirmed the news on Friday after an election was held and the former rally driver from Dubai emerged as the winner after standing against FIA’s vice president Graham Stocker. Jean Todt will be retiring from the seat after serving three terms in the office. Mohammed Ben Sulayem will be the first non-European federation president. Graham Stocker who is a British lawyer was beaten in the race for the seat despite serving as the vice president for 11 years since 2009. The FIA serves as the governing body for Formula 1, Formula E, World Endurance Championship(WEC) and World Rally Championship(WRC) among other motorsports championships. “The votes are in and we’ve won. We are thrilled that 62% of all clubs have given us their vote,” a tweet read from Ben Sulayem’s campaign on Twitter dubbed ‘FIA for Members’. With Mohammed Ben Sulayem taking the top seat in FIA, Formula 1 will be one of his top priorities after a rather controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Season finale. The race received a lot of criticism after a controversial final lap safety car procedure changed the outcome of the championship title after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the race claiming the Drivers Championship title. Mercedes protested the race win but got dismissed by the Race Stewards later, with the team boss Toto Wolff saying Lewis Hamilton was ‘robbed’ of his record breaking eighth championship title. FIA Race Director Michael Masi received a lot of criticism after the controversial safety car directive. FIA promised to look into the issue which is said to be ‘tarnishing’ its name and also clarify the rules and regulations in regards to the sport. Mohammed Ben Sulayen was previously a member of the World Motor Sport Council and also served as FIA’s vice president. The 60-yea old will be deputised by Robert Reid who was formerly a co-driver to the late WRC champion Richard Burns. Bernie Ecclestone’s wife Fabianna will be the vice president in South America.
FIA has revealed its plans to introduce new power unit regulations for the 2026 Formula 1 Season. The new power unit regulations are aimed at introducing a budget cap on power unit development for manufacturers which will as well reduce the power unit cost for the teams come 2026. The budget cap regulations were introduced this year with the teams cutting down on their spending, however, the new rules exempted cost cap on power unit development. with the 2026 rules, it will be possible for F1 newcomers such as the rumoured Volkswagen Group(Audi and Porsche) to enter the sport at a competitive level. However, the FIA has not expounded on exemptions in regards to the new rules. The cars will also run on 100% sustainable fuel using the current 1.6 Litre turbo V6 engine. The power units will undergo a major change tripling power output from the current 120Kw to over 350Kw. With this, the manufacturers will do away with MGU-H which produces energy from heat and also save on the massive cost of the PU. The move will shift focus to electrical power. A detailed specification of the 2026 power unit rules and regulations is currently being drawn up for submission to the World Motor Sport Council early next year. FIA also confirmed refinements to the technical regulations for next year had been agreed.
FIA World Motor Sport Council on Wednesday released a statement intending to investigate the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix season finale which was plagued by controversy amid receiving criticism. The Formula 1 season finale served as a championship title decider between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen who were currently level on points as they headed to the final race. With Hamilton taking the lead after a move on Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez, the Brit dominated the race and even extended the time margin ahead of Verstappen. However, things turned around on the final lap after a Safety Car was deployed following Nicholas Latifi’s crash. While Lewis Hamilton decided to stay out after the caution was out, Verstappen was called in by Red Bull for fresh soft tyres. Coming out, Verstappen found himself behind five lapped cars from the race leader. F1 Race Director Michael Masi later cleared the five cars between the title rivals to unlap themselves, a move that was controversial and widely criticised. Masi’s call left the race being a final lap showdown, and Verstappen running on fresher tyres pulled off an overtake on Hamilton claiming the race win and championship title. Mercedes tried to protest the controversial final lap events but the Race Stewards dismissed the matter leaving the team on crossroads on whether to appeal the race outcome officially. The FIA, in a statement issued on Wednesday evening said they recognised the fall-out from events in Abu Dhabi and the matter is “tarnishing the image of the championship” they also added that they will study what happened “with all relevant parties”, as proposed by President Jean Todt who is about to exit his post following the maximum 12 years in office. The statement read: “On Sunday, another FIA F1 World Championship season of competitive excellence concluded, and the credit goes to the participating drivers and teams. The FIA congratulates all of them for their performances in this year. It was a hard fight, and the best competition was displayed at each grand prix.” “The world watched every race with great anticipation, knowing in the end there could only be one winner. In this respect, many praised Max Verstappen for his victory, and Lewis Hamilton for his remarkable performance and sportsmanship after the closing event of the season.” “The 2021 FIA Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has prompted a large number of reactions from the F1 community and from motorsport in general, as well as in the public. The FIA’s primary responsibility at any event is to ensure the safety of everyone involved and the integrity of the sport.” “The circumstances surrounding the use of the Safety Car following the incident of driver Nicholas Latifi, and the related communications between the FIA Race Direction team and the Formula 1 teams, have notably generated significant misunderstanding and reactions from Formula 1 teams, drivers and fans – an argument that is currently tarnishing the image of the Championship and the due celebration of the first Drivers’ World Championship title won by Max Verstappen and the eighth consecutive Constructors’ World Championship title won by Mercedes.” “Following the presentation of a report regarding the sequence of events that took place following the incident on lap 53 of the grand prix and in a constant drive for improvement, the FIA President proposed to the World Motor Sport Council that a detailed analysis and clarification exercise for the future with all relevant parties will now take place.” “This matter will be discussed and addressed with all the teams and drivers to draw any lessons from this situation and clarity to be provided to the participants, media and fans about the current regulations to preserve the competitive nature of our sport while ensuring the safety of the drivers and officials.”
Max Verstappen has been summoned to the stewards’ office in Sao Paulo in the wake of the investigation surrounding the rear wing and DRS of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes. On Friday after qualifying, the stewards called representatives from Mercedes to their office to explain an alleged breach of the technical rules of car #44 as noted by FIA technical delegate Jo Bauer. In Bauer’s post-session check, it was noted that the gap between the two rear wing lower and upper planes exceeded the authorized maximum 85mm when DRS was open. The same check was conducted on 13 other cars after qualifying but car #44 was the only one that was found not to be in conformity. After a lengthy wait on Friday evening, the stewards opted to adjourn the investigation until Saturday morning as they awaited “further evidence that will not be available until the morning”. However, in an unexpected turn of events, Verstappen was also placed under investigation over a potential breach of parc fermé rules. In footage from an amateur video taken just after qualifying that was published on social media, Verstappen is seen touching his car’s rear wing in several areas and then walking over to Hamilton’s Mercedes and doing the same thing as if to compare the two cars’ wing elements. Verstappen is facing an “alleged breach of Article 2.5.1 of the FIA International Sporting Code”. Article 2.5.1 of the ISC states: “Inside the Parc Fermé, only the officials assigned may enter. No operation, checking, tuning or repair is allowed unless authorised by the same officials or by the applicable regulations.” The end result is that both title contenders are at risk of a sanction from the FIA that could set back either driver or both for Saturday afternoon’s 24-lap Sprint Qualifying event that will determine the grid for Sunday’s race.
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