A week before the start of the first round of the 2023 Formula 1 season, an updated version of the Sporting Regulations has been published on the official website of the FIA.
The main changes relate to how race times should be counted, an experimental qualifying format, the use of DRS in sprints, starting positions, mandatory team meetings with fans and possible rule changes for 2024. In addition, there were numerous minor changes to other points of the regulations.
Match duration
If the maximum possible time for a sprint (one hour) or a grand prix (two hours) has been reached, the end of race signal will be shown at the end of the lap after the time has expired, unless the leader has distance covered in the race.
New name for the revised qualification format
Last year, Formula 1 approved the use of a revised qualifying format for two rounds in 2023. This format has now been renamed Alternate Tire Allocation. The format itself remained unchanged: qualifying for the two selected Grands Prix requires drivers to use one set of hard tires in the first session, one set of medium tires in the second and one set of soft tires in the third.
To score
Last year’s race at Suzuka, which decided the fate of the championship, led to confusion among many when it emerged that the new rule for reducing points for shortened races had not been formulated clearly enough. This gave the riders full points, although the winner Max Verstappen only covered 52% of the planned distance.
The problematic point of the regulation has been rewritten. The previous version of the rules stated that fewer points would be awarded if “the race is abandoned in accordance with Section 57 and cannot be restarted”. In the new version, fewer points are awarded under the condition “if the race distance from the start signal to the session end signal is less than the scheduled race distance”. The same rule applies to sprints.
In addition to the above, the FIA determined that the award ceremony would not take place if no points were awarded. This will happen if the leader completes less than two laps, as was the case at the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix. Television interviews with the top three will take place at the same time.
Riders will meet more fans
The updated regulations include more mandatory sessions for rider-fan communication. In 2023, six selected drivers will meet spectators on Thursday and another ten on Friday no later than one and a half hours before the start of the first training. During the same period, three team leaders selected by the FIA Media Delegate will also meet fans.
Teams are required to show new ones
Last year in Formula 1 there was a rule requiring teams to demonstrate new items to the press. However, some bypassed it and brought updates in a single copy. The updated regulations say that even if the novelties are in one copy, they must also be demonstrated.
Sprint specific DRS rules
In the Saturday sprints, riders can activate DRS one lap earlier than in the Sunday races. If the experiment is deemed successful, the updated rule will apply to racing in 2024.
Wrong starting position
A rider is deemed to have incorrectly entered the start position on the starting grid if “during the start signal any part of the contact patch of his front tires is outside the lines (front and sides)”.
Start from the pit lane after the suspension of the race
When the drivers return to the pit lane in the event of a suspension of the race, the driver who violated the order of the cars, after the race has resumed, is obliged to return to the pit lane, drive past it and back to return to the pit lane. sprint or race only after the last car has passed the exit of the pit lane after the restart.
winter vacation
In addition to the mandatory break in August, when teams must stop work and close bases, there is a mandatory winter break. It begins on December 24 and continues for nine calendar days in a row.
Vote to ban thermal tire covers
There are a number of articles in the regulation that describe the possibility of refusing thermal covers for tires in 2024. In the event that the FIA and the tire supplier decide that after removing the use of thermal covers, the tires will meet safety requirements, a vote on the refusal will be made no later than July 31, 2023.
For the changes to take effect in 2024, it is sufficient that five of the ten teams vote for the relevant changes to the regulations.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
