What we know about Qatar’s key F1 racing guidelines meeting

F1 drivers really feel progress has been made following a gathering about racing tips on the Qatar Grand Prix.

It emerged on the Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix that F1’s governing physique the FIA would revise the wording of the game’s racing tips following Max Verstappen and Lando Norris’s controversial conflict at america Grand Prix.

The FIA was concentrating on implementation of latest tips as early as this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix and a gathering passed off within the Lusail paddock on Thursday night to current the recommendations to the drivers.

Grand Prix Drivers’ Affiliation (GPDA) director George Russell advised media together with Crash.internet the dialogue was “primarily about overtaking” and insisted “everybody was in settlement”.

The ‘inside v exterior’ debate

The racing guideline on the centre of contentious debate is the one which states a driver overtaking on the skin doesn’t have the suitable to the nook if the motive force on the within reaches the apex earlier than them.

Many drivers really feel Verstappen had been profiting from the rule of thumb. He tried the identical as he did in Austin in Mexico however on this event was punished for forcing Norris off observe.

Russell revealed that guideline was set to be “binned off”, probably as early as this weekend.

“It was fairly productive,” Russell mentioned. “I do not need to go into element what was spoken about. However I believe quite a lot of drivers are aligned that in case you are the overtaking automotive on the within, rule primary is you have got to have the ability to keep on the circuit.

“In the event you’re in a position to keep on the circuit, you might be in your proper to run the motive force broad. Because it has been for all of us since go-karts. In the event you’re overtaking any person on the within, you’ve got acquired the suitable to run them broad.

“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. I hope it will be from this weekend onwards.”

The ‘finest assembly’ F1 drivers have had

Russell’s Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton added adjustments are “within the works” and believes issues are “shifting in the suitable course” as he praised the stewards for being clear and open with the drivers.

“What’s nice is simply acknowledging the FIA and the stewards taking the time to take a seat down with us and allow you to undergo it. That is the primary time we have truly in all probability had that assembly shortly at the least,” he mentioned.

“That is one of the best assembly I’d say we now have had. It’s totally complicated as a result of there’s so many various, all these totally different corners, so many various eventualities. They do not have a simple job in any respect.

“I believe it helps us all sitting with them, having a dialogue of what, as a result of of their minds, this 12 months it has been, or it has been higher by way of consistency, however clearly everybody needs it to be good.

“However till you have got these discussions for them to completely perceive what, from our race, from the place we’re sitting, from the place we’re combating, what we’re combating for and what we expect is true or flawed in sure eventualities, it is good for them to listen to and for us to work on actual clear tips.”

Hamilton revealed the thought of introducing a ‘yellow card’ warning system for drivers was rapidly rejected.

“There was discuss of like a warning, however that is principally like yellow card,” he defined.

“You realize you are going to have that one warning, and if you happen to waited for the final race of the 12 months to utilise your one warning, that does not work. So we’re simply working away at it collectively.”

Circuits the “root trigger”

Russell mentioned all of the drivers have been in settlement that circuit design is the “root trigger” of most of F1’s racing controversies.

“We additionally concluded that almost all of those points are all the way down to the circuits,” he added. “We spoke about a lot of points in Austin. I believe quite a lot of the overtakes would not have even been tried had there been gravel there.

“The circuits are the foundation trigger and the rules are sort of like an interim repair that we have to agree on till we will get the entire circuits in a correct method.”

Newly topped four-time world champion Verstappen mentioned: “You realize, in some locations you simply have quite a lot of run off, and that creates already quite a lot of points, in order that’s one thing that we now have to work on for the longer term anyway.

“The principle downside is the observe that enables these sort of issues. So when you have gravel, that naturally stops you from doing issues that, , taking a bit extra threat than regular.”

Whereas Verstappen reiterated his stance that F1’s rulebook ought to be less complicated, he feels circuit alterations are finally the way in which ahead. 

“Generally it isn’t that straightforward to simply throw all the principles overboard,” he mentioned.

“I believe the largest problem that we now have is simply, in some locations, the tracks which have approach an excessive amount of run-off.

“In fact, some tracks are a bit tougher than others, however how a lot would you like F1 to drive in your observe then? It is so simple as that.”