Formula One’s rule book during its inaugural season in 1950 could literally be written on the back of a fag packet. Yet over seventy five years of the sport, there are tomes written each season to cover technical, sporting and now driving regulations issued by the FIA.
The secret “driver guidelines” document issued to the stewards each season came to light last year after a number of incidents involving Max Verstappen in both Austin and Mexico City.
Now made public it is clear the FIA are attempting to codify the rules of racing and in many instances have done a decent job. This writer once asked Charlie Whiting why track limits was not policed around the entirety of the circuit, he shrugged and stated it would be too expensive to have cameras and people monitoring this issue.
Shocking marshal incident in Mexico
Under the much criticised Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s presidency of the FIA, track limits is now strictly enforced at every corner on every circuit. Yes it resulted in the infamous 1200 incidents reported to the stewards in Austria 2024, but this evolved into a solution of relaying some partial gravel areas which solved the problem at this year’s race in Spielberg.
Yet one area requiring a complete overhaul is the way Formula One polices the racing together with its obsession with ‘absolute’ safety in every single circumstance. Of course safety is vitally important and even more so for those who marshal the circuit to ensure racing can take place.
In Mexico there was a shocking incident, where after skirmishes on lap one, marshals were sent out to collect debris claimed to be on the apex of turn one. Of course the cars were bunched together giving the marshals plenty of time to enter the live circuit and recover the offending material.
The problem was, Liam Lawson pitted for a fresh nose cone and was not at the tail of the racing snake. On leaving the pits and arriving art turn one he was horrified. He screamed over team radio: “Are you kidding me? Did you just see that? I could have… killed them.”
F1 Drivers do not respect yellow flags
In the Sky podcast this week, Martin Brundle recalled how during his career “I hit a marshal in a downpour in Suzuka once and smashed his legs. There was nothing I could do about it I just aquaplaned off the track.
“I’m still sick in my stomach today when I think about it. In the 80’s Jacque was ferrying to I was in a touring car race in Italy and reported debris on track. It turned out to be a dead marshal.”
Jacque Villeneuve was on the money blaming the current rules for creating dangerous situations. “That’s stuff from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. It shouldn’t happen. A double yellow flag you know you’re supposed to slow down – I mean nobody slows down – they just do quick lift off the gas, lose a thousandth of a second and everybody is happy. ‘Oh look he slowed down and is under control.’
“That’s not slowing down. Its not – but the rules allow for it,” he concluded. In the international FIA sporting code the regulations regarding double waved yellow flags are simple. “Slow down and be prepared to stop.” Of course the stewards have received incremental guidelines regarding what slowing down actually means and they are certainly nothing like the broad regulation as it is stated.
Russell lets slip Mercedes’ contract clause
Indycar have full time travelling Air safety team
In Indycar, North America’s premier single seater racing series, the nature of the numerous street circuits and ovals means there are often significant crashes multiple times a race. Their equivalent safety car procedure is called a “full course yellow” which sees the cars reduce speed to almost walking pace as they approach the incident, then later in the lap they pick up a pace car which controls the speed.
The full time professional AMR safety team are clearly seen working on the stricken car(s) even before the pace car has picked up the leaders. Such is the level of respect of the instruction “slow down and be prepared to stop” this is possible. So a simple answer to reduce potential safety for the marshals in F1 is the same. The double waved yellow flags must be policed properly and proper punishments handed out for those breaking them. A bit of a lift is just not good enough.
With just two laps to go, Carlos Sainz car came to a halt in the stadium section of the Mexico City Autodromo. The car was way off line, although smoking somewhat and the end of the race was around two minutes away. Race control decided to throw the virtual safety car, which in effect ended the race depriving fans around the world from some intriguing tight on track battles.
Race Control unnecessary VSC
Veilleneuve was outraged at the deiciosn to effectively cancel the end of the 2025 Mexican Grand Prix. “The VSC at the end of the race. Why? On what planet do we stop the race with two laps to go when there’s battles happening everywhere – it was complete nonsense. And mostly the car was completely out of the way.
“It was the slowest part of the circuit – no one ever crashes there – we’re not talking 300kph in a straight line where a tyre can blow up. Nothing can happen there with 2 laps to go. There was nothing unsafe about it, you’ve got millions of people watching an event – it has to be taken into consideration.”
And so we can see the two extremes and contradictions the FIA has laid out for itself. After the tragic crash by Jules Binachi at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, the repot summarising the findings of the investigation stated in its conclusions.
“4. If drivers adhere to the requirements of double yellow flags, as set out in Appendix H, Article 2.4.5.1.b*, then neither competitors nor officials should be put in immediate or physical danger.”
Bianchi reports recommendations ignored
Further in its recommendations it proposed a new Appendix H Article be considered (possibly under 2.4.5.1 b):
“The Clerk of the Course will impose a speed limit in any section of track where double yellow flags are being displayed.” This has not been implemented and the driver continue to treat yellow flags with contempt.
Of course nobody is prepared to follow the rules, whilst other drivers are not being penalised – and so the vicious circle continues. Brundle did conclude that the weekend in Mexico City “was not a particularly good one for race control and the stewards.”
Brundle ‘out of touch’ after lambasting Verstappen
The adage “never meet your heroes” stems from the reality that people we admire from a distance are often idealised, and they can fail to live up to our unrealistic expectations in real life. Meeting them can be a disappointing experience that shatters the image we’ve built up in our heads. And in Formula One this truth is stark.
Martin Brundle is perceived as a Formula One UK ‘national treasure’ much of which is based on an average racing career which saw him compete against Ayrton Senna in F3 in the 1980’s and in F1 a year alongside Michael Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen where he was not competitive.
His transition to becoming a broadcaster along with the now infamous ‘grid walk’ he pioneered has placed Brundle on the screens of the UK F1 fans for over two decades. Having a racing driver as a commentator has given fans the feeling they are closer to the action in understanding what’s going on on screen…. 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.
A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
