All the key changes from the FIA’s 2023 F1 sporting regulations : PlanetF1

The revised FIA rules for the F1 Championship are in, and to save you from flipping through all 112 pages, PlanetF1.com has curated the most important changes.

2023 is more of an evolution than a revolution from 2022, with the sweeping regulatory changes largely staying the same for last season.

But it wouldn’t be F1 and the FIA ​​if some of the wording of the rules hadn’t been changed, even slightly, to remove any gray areas that may have arisen over the course of the last season.

From points to race structures to fan commitments, here are all the key changes in sporting regulations for the 2023 changes.

Clarification of sprint times and obligatory winter shutdown

The most logical place to start when choosing the new rules would be the actual organization of the races with a particular focus on sprints following the increase from three to six events this year.

As with the full races, sprints now have a time limit that they must complete in full and that has been set at 90 minutes, half the allotment for a full race.

A sprint race should be run over 100km, but there are exceptions to this rule. If one hour has elapsed after the start signal and the race is not over, the leader will see an end-of-session signal when they cross the finish line for the first time after the hour has elapsed. For example, if Max Verstappen is leading the sprint race but has only completed seven laps after an hour, the race ends after the eighth lap.

However, if the sprint is disrupted, the duration of that disruption will be added to the original one-hour time slot. The maximum time that can be added is 30 minutes, so the longest possible sprint race is one that lasts 1.5 hours.

The DRS window during sprints has also been moved forward by one lap from lap 3 to lap 2.

If the race is continued in wet conditions and the Race Director deems it necessary to be more than one lap behind the safety car, wet tires are mandatory for both a sprint and a Grand Prix.

There were also rule changes in relation to testing, as the cars made available to young drivers “must be in an identical configuration of components and software as used in at least one race in the current championship year”.

The number of test days in the season for the teams/tires has also increased from 30 to 35.

The final timing change comes at the end of the season, when both designers and genset suppliers will have to take part in a nine-day winter shutdown from December 24th.

Clarifying the points after Suzuka confusion

After Max Verstappen’s bizarre title win in 2022, when almost everyone but the FIA ​​thought he was still not quite the champion, the sport’s governing body has clarified which points shortened races will receive.

The regulations now state that if “the race distance from the start signal to the end of the session is shorter than the planned race distance, a race is suspended under Article 57 and cannot be resumed, points for each title will be awarded according to the following criteria .”

These criteria are always related to time and no points are awarded if the leader completes less than two laps, points column 1 if between 2 laps and less than 25% of the race completed, points column 2 if between 25% and less than 50% completed. of the races has been completed and points in column 3 if between 50% and less than 75% have been completed.

If a race completes 75% or more of its planned distance, it is considered completed and as such full points are awarded.
No points are awarded for sprints that do not reach half the distance.

If no points are awarded in the race or in the sprint, the award ceremony will not take place, but the television interviews mentioned will take place at the time when the award ceremony would have taken place.

Clarification of starting procedures and other penalty changes.

Following a situation at the start of the 2022 Sao Paulo Grand Prix where a number of drivers were under investigation for a possible starting violation, the FIA ​​has clarified exactly what a penalty will entail.

The new rule states: “Any part of the contact patch of his front tires outside the lines (front and sides) at the time of the start signal.”

However, they removed a penalty when it comes to moving cars during a suspended race or sprint. Now when a car is moved from the fast lane to another part of the pit lane, it will be placed at the end of the line of cars in the fast lane in the order it got there. Such cars are allowed to exit the pit lane when the sprint session or race resumes, but must re-enter the pit lane when the safety car returns and may rejoin the sprint session or race as soon as the last car the box has happened exit after reboot.

If, after the 15-second signal before a race, any team personnel touches the car or any piece of equipment is still attached, the driver of that car must start the race from the pit lane. If the driver does not comply, a penalty will be imposed.

New “Fan Engagement” activity mandatory for drivers and team bosses

With the introduction of two periods during a race weekend, there has been a significant change in terms of the fan commitments that drivers and teams are required to make.

On Thursday, which is normally reserved for media and sponsorship duties, six drivers must be available for “fan engagement drives” lasting a maximum of 30 minutes. This takes place during a one-hour slot scheduled 20 hours and 30 minutes before the start of FP1.

On the first day of the track promotion, 10 drivers must be available for fan activities in a period that must end at least 1.5 hours before FP1.

It’s not only the drivers who participate with three team principles per race, but also perform the same tasks as the drivers.

Speaking of team bosses: Instead of three, four high-ranking team representatives must now be available for the media per weekend, including at least the CEO, the team boss and the technical director.

The sport introduced a “show and tell” feature last season, which requires teams to explain what upgrades they brought with them, and this will remain in place for 2023 as the constructors are now putting on a show and putting the car on display need if only one car gets the updates.

Each powertrain supplier is also required to make a 30 minute presentation at a race during the season.