The FIA has come under fire since the 2025 Formula One Belgium Grand Prix, for what appeared an age before race control sanctioned the start of the Grand Prix on Sunday. Concerns over visibility meant despite the race being declared a wet start behind the safety car, the drying track was ready for slick tyres after a handful of laps of racing.
Drivers like Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz have questioned why F1’s governing body has not insisted on a certain type of asphalt being laid at circuits regularly plagued by heavy rain. “I always thought Formula 1 should almost like, if possible, innovate and try something different,” said Sainz after the race in Spa.
”And I think there’s certain kind of tarmacs that if you would put them [the cars] on a straight line, there would be no spray, and they exist. But most circuits don’t have it. In the end, the biggest problem for us is visibility, it’s what keeps us from racing.”
FIA tinker with grid penalties
Given the vast expense of resurfacing an FIA grade 1 circuit, something only done once a decade, it does appear strange the FIA has not mandated certain types of surface for use in places like Spa and Suzuka. The F1 governing body clearly has the ability to make such universal decisions given the tinkering with the regulations for 2026 which have come to light this weekend.
This weekend it has become apparent that for 2026 the FIA has changed the rules governing grid penalties. Under the current regime, grid penalties have no expiration date and wold be carried over indefinitely until served. Now a key change has been introduced which means they will expire even if not served after 12 months.
Another tweak has been designed to prevent the silly situation, where a driver set to retire the car may do an extra lap and pit stop to serve any penalty to prevent it being carried over to the next weekend. Now a driver forced to retire from a practice session or race may not be subject to the penalty under revised guidelines.
One beneficiary from the new rules is Valtteri Bottas who in his last race for Sauber in Abu Dhabi, was awarded a five place grid drop for colliding with Kevin Magnussen. When he lines up for Cadillac in 2026, the twelve month time limitation will now have expired on this penalty.
Monaco new rule to stay
Another change made the FIA is not so popular with Williams boss James Vowles, who intends to question officials as to why the temporary two stop rule for Monaco has been added into the 2026 regulations. The regulation was altered this year in an effort to make the processional nature of Sunday’s in the principality less predictable.
Yet unintended consequences made the midfield battle something of a farce as one car would drive incredibly slowly, holding up the competition, while his team mate built a gap to ensure they cold pit for fresh rubber without losing a place in the race. Williams were one of the teams deploying this tactic, something Alex Albon admitted after the Grand Prix.
“I know we put on a bad show for everyone, and I know we made a few angry drivers behind us in the process as well. It’s just taking advantage of the track, the size of the cars, and that’s it really. The two-stop just made us do it twice, rather than once. Just frustrating. Apologies to everyone who watched that, that wasn’t very pretty,” said the British born Thai racer.
Despite the farcical nature of the racing in Monaco, the rule will return for the 2026 race in the principality. This is something James Vowles is concerned about, who when asked was somewhat bemused: “Good question. It wasn’t actually discussed in the F1 Commission…”
Williams boss says topic not discussed
Vowles was careful not to claim this was indeed a unilateral decision made by the FIA but added: “I hope it comes up in a conversation coming up. I have a meeting this afternoon with Nikolas [Tombazis, FIA single seater director] where I want to discuss exactly that as a topic of, where did this get discussed? And [then] I’ll be sure,” said the Williams boss.
James is clearly not impressed with there mandatory two stop rule exhaling he was reluctant to deploy the ‘drive slow’ tactic although it meant a double points scoring race for Williams. “We weren’t the first to do it,” he said. “I had to do it in reaction to the field. I didn’t like it. It’s the most uncomfortable I felt.
“I like going out there and fighting for points on merit rather than having to game the system in order to achieve it. I still maintain, however, by the time it got to us, and I waited as long as we could in the race until there’s just one point remaining, that at that point you have got to think of the championship and take a point.
Track extension in Monaco
“I think the arguments that are being made are, was it a better show? Irrespective of that. I can’t answer that question. I think that’s for the fans to answer. My personal opinion is I don’t like the lack of clean racing that occurs as a result of it.”
To prevent another farce in Monaco, the FIA could punish drivers for lapping too slowly during the Grand Prix. Yet any judgements made by race control would be arbitrary and open to challenge, were a driver to have a problem with his car. The solution to the Monaco problem being discussed, is for the historic circuit to be modified to cope with the bigger modern F1 cars. Theres talk of extending the circuit before the entrance to the tunnel, although no particular design has yet been suggested.
The hosts of the Monaco Grand Prix last year agreed a six year extension to their contract, which will see the event remain on the F1 calendar until 2031.
Ferrari president breaks silence on lack of titles
The Formula One Ferrari team are the only racing outfit which has competed in the sport since the off in 1960. The Scuderia have won more races and championships than another team and the iconic red livery evokes memories of yesteryear and all the great drivers who have raced for the Maranello based team.
In the days of unlimited spending in F1, Ferrari have mostly been capable of matching the budget of any other team on the grid. Yet it has been seventeen long years since the team under the guidance of Stefano Domenicali won the constructors’ championship, the year Lewis Hamilton took his first drivers’ title with McLaren.
The Scuderia have come close to glory in the intervening era even in 2024, Leclerc and Sainz came close to taking the constructor’s championship closing down a 79 point gap across the final six race weekends to just 14 come the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi….. READ MORE
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
