In a move to give greater transparency, the FIA has published the Stewards Guidelines for Driving Standards & Penalties for Formula 1.
In line with Mohammed Ben Sulayem's drive to make the operations of the FIA more transparent, the sport's governing body today announced that two key documents created to assist stewards with fair and consistent decision making in application of the regulations of the Formula One World Championship are made public for the first time.
President Ben Sulayem has decided that these guidelines be published to broaden understanding of the application of regulations at the pinnacle of motorsport, and in the case of the Driving Standards Guidelines, to provide a frame of reference for competitors in categories beyond Formula 1.
"FIA Stewards perform a hugely complex task," he said, "not just in Formula 1 but across all of our championships, and they do this voluntarily, with great passion and commitment. That dedication is all too often met with extreme and wholly unwarranted criticism. To demonstrate the rigour with which they pursue their role, we are today publishing the Penalty and Driving Standards Guidelines that assist them with their decisions. This will give fans and members of the media a much deeper and more accurate insight into how decisions are made in Formula 1. The Penalty Guidelines have been a core tool for almost a decade while the Driving Standards Guidelines introduced in 2022 and constantly updated have brought the most important voices, those of the drivers, to the table to create a genuine reference for certain racing situations."
While neither document has regulatory value, each has been drawn up to assist the Formula 1 Stewards in the objective of achieving fairness and consistency when considered alongside the FIA Formula 1 Regulations, video and technical evidence, Driver Steward input, and where appropriate, statements from drivers and teams involved in incidents. It is important to note that Stewards' decisions are made independently of the FIA and are based solely on the applicable regulations, guidelines, and the evidence presented.
In existence for more than a decade, the Penalty Guidelines list approximately 100 common infringements, recommended penalties and the appropriate penalty points that should be applied during each session of a race weekend. In most cases the penalties are not mandatory and fall within a range available to Stewards. The Penalty Guidelines are regularly updated, based on feedback from the Stewards, teams and drivers.
Developed at the request of drivers in Formula 1 and formulated in consultation with the FIA Drivers' Commission and with drivers and teams, the Driving Standards Guidelines provide clarity on a conduct in variety of racing situations, including overtaking on the inside and outside of corners, at chicanes and S-bends, impeding, moving under braking, rejoining the circuit following an incident conduct behind the Safety Car and the latest guidance on track limits infringements following significant progress on the delineation of track limits through the implementation of clearly defined markings and physical deterrents in recent years.
The latest version of the Driving Standard Guidelines was drafted following a positive and constructive meeting with drivers organised at the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix by the FIA and the FIA F1 Stewards. Further refinements will be carried out in consultation with F1 drivers and teams on an ongoing basis.
"Greater transparency within the governance of our sport is an important issue and this is a useful step in that direction," said George Russell. "Hopefully it will be beneficial for the sport to give the media and fans a clearer understanding of the rules of engagement when we're racing on track, and to help them understand how the stewards reach their decisions."
The 2025 penalty guidelines can be found here (link to pdf), while the 2025 driving standards guidelines can be found here (again link to pdf).
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