F1's governing body, the FIA, has pledged to make changes to the racing guidelines before the season concludes.
This commitment follows an extended driver briefing in Mexico, sparked by the controversy surrounding Lando Norris' 5-second penalty for his overtaking move on Max Verstappen at the Austin GP.
McLaren's attempt to appeal the decision in Mexico was rejected due to a lack of new evidence. "We will continue to work closely with the FIA to further understand how teams can constructively challenge decisions that lead to an incorrect classification of the race," said McLaren in a statement.
Norris voiced his frustration, stating, "He would not have been ahead of me at the apex if he had braked where he should have and stayed on the track. Many other drivers and teams did not agree (with Verstappen's driving) either."
The fallout from the Austin incident prompted calls for changes in how penalties are issued, with 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve referring to the current stewards as "real amateurs."
Though friends off the track, Verstappen and Norris reportedly exchanged some sharp words during the driver briefing. Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, who had previously commented that "both" drivers were "guilty" during the Austin incident, reflected on the meeting by saying it was "positive and productive."
"I think a lot of drivers opened up about how they felt about each situation and what we think is the best way forward," said Sainz. "I think in Qatar we will have some solutions for the driving guidelines that the stewards are going to apply penalties with. Hopefully, they will offer better understanding for the driver and better racing in general."
An FIA spokesperson confirmed to De Telegraaf newspaper that "There was a general commitment to continue updating the guidelines. Given that the guidelines were developed in conjunction with the drivers' union, any updates are made in consultation with the drivers. Not because of isolated incidents such as Austin, but driven by the desire to bring consistency to the stewards' determinations and decisions."
Grand Prix Drivers' Association president Alex Wurz backed the FIA's move: "We appreciate having a conversation to make the decisions more consistent. There is already consistency, but we collectively see that there is room for improvement. Nobody wants to see too many rules, and we want to see good racing action, and the general feeling is that we will improve the guidelines for 2025."
