The FIA World Motor Sport Council convened on February 28th for its first meeting of 2024. The meeting was chaired by President Mohammed Ben Sulayem, with FIA Deputy President for Sport Robert Reid and WMSC members joining in person at the Federation’s offices in Geneva and from around the world via video conference.
Of interest to local circuit racing in Jamaica, following analysis and consultation between drivers, officials, and stewards over the past year, a new set of Driving Standards Guidelines has been produced by the FIA Drivers’ Committee in partnership with the FIA’s Circuit Commission and Safety Department.
The FIA Drivers’ Committee, made up of a broad range of experienced current and former drivers, has worked closely with experts across the championships and competitions for their input and feedback to shape the creation of this document. It covers a number of key topics, from driving standards to defending and overtaking maneuvers, track limits, yellow flags, driver advisors, and safety car restart procedures. It will eventually also be used to assist with the training of young drivers applying for their first international license.
Presented to the World Council, the guidelines will apply to all categories of circuit racing, from grassroots to World Championship competitions, providing for the first time a globally consistent reference point to support not only drivers as they develop throughout their careers but also Race Officials and Stewards. These guidelines will remain in draft form in 2024, with the intention of becoming regulatory in 2025.
Ronan Morgan, President of the Drivers’ Committee, formerly known as the Drivers’ Commission, explained: “As the governing body of international motor sport, the FIA is responsible for a wide variety of circuit racing championships around the world. Consistently policing them all can therefore be a complicated task.”
“The objective behind these new Driving Standards Guidelines is to streamline and standardize the protocols in those championships by forming the basis for decisions made by event officials. We want to incentivize overtaking while clamping down on dangerous defending and minimize any ‘grey areas’ that may previously have caused confusion. The guidelines similarly stress the importance of strictness in applying the rules in the lower formulae in particular, something that we believe is essential when it comes to junior driver development and safeguarding the future of our sport.”
The Guidelines will be presented to the World Motor Sport Council, and from January 1, 2025, they will be integrated within Appendix L of the International Sporting Code.
