In a landmark move aimed at demystifying the often-criticized stewarding process in Formula 1, the FIA has publicly released its updated 2025 stewards’ guidelines, detailing both the application of penalty points and the sport’s driving standards.
This effort marks a significant step towards greater transparency and understanding for fans, drivers, and the media alike.
The newly released documents outline the framework used by FIA stewards when issuing penalties and assigning Super Licence penalty points.
Though the documents carry no regulatory weight, they have long been used internally by officials to maintain consistency across decisions. Now, for the first time, they are available for public scrutiny.
A Decade in the Making
While these internal penalty guidelines have existed for nearly ten years, the FIA's decision to publish them reflects a response to calls for clarity and transparency over stewarding decisions.
The driving standards component, introduced in 2022 and further refined following a key meeting at the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix, has also been made public.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem defended the often-challenged role of the sport’s stewards and emphasized the importance of this initiative in building trust.
“FIA Stewards perform a hugely complex task, not just in Formula 1 but across all of our championships, and they do this voluntarily, with great passion and commitment. That dedication is all too often met with extreme and wholly unwarranted criticism,” he said.
“To demonstrate the rigour with which they pursue their role, we are today publishing the Penalty and Driving Standards Guidelines that assist them with their decisions. This will give fans and members of the media a much deeper and more accurate insight into how decisions are made in Formula 1.
“The Penalty Guidelines have been a core tool for almost a decade while the Driving Standards Guidelines introduced in 2022 and constantly updated have brought the most important voices, those of the drivers, to the table to create a genuine reference for certain racing situations.”
Drivers Welcome Increased Transparency
The release of the guidelines has been met with support from the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA), with Mercedes driver and GPDA director George Russell praising the initiative.
“Greater transparency within the governance of our sport is an important issue and this is a useful step in that direction,” Russell stated.
“Hopefully it will be beneficial for the sport to give the media and fans a clearer understanding of the rules of engagement when we’re racing on track, and to help them understand how the stewards reach their decisions.”
What’s Inside the Guidelines?
The documents clarify how stewards assess incidents during practice sessions, qualifying, and races. They categorize over 100 potential infringements that can result in penalty points on a driver's Super Licence. Exceeding 12 points within a calendar year leads to an automatic race ban.
Offences now publicly outlined include:
-Unsafe pit lane release: Releasing a car unsafely from the pit box.
-Safety Car violations: Speeding or overtaking under Virtual Safety Car (VSC) or Safety Car conditions, or failing to maintain the required distance from the car ahead.
-Erratic driving: Driving unnecessarily slowly or unpredictably.
-Ignoring signals: Failing to respect pit lane red lights or on-track flag signals.
-Aggressive maneuvers: Moving under braking, impeding another driver intentionally, forcing a competitor off the track, or causing a collision.
Unsafe rejoining: Re-entering the circuit in a manner that endangers other drivers.
Particularly severe breaches, such as ignoring a black flag (signaling disqualification) or a black-and-orange flag (requiring a pit stop for unsafe vehicle condition), can incur up to five penalty points—the highest penalty under the current system.
Clarified Driving Standards for 2025
The updated driving standards provide specific expectations around on-track behavior, such as rules of engagement during overtaking and defensive driving.
For example, a driver attempting an inside overtake must be at least alongside the mirror of the car ahead both before and at the apex to avoid being deemed at fault in a collision. Only one defensive move is permitted when defending a position, in line with current best practices.
These standards, though not codified regulations, serve as consistent benchmarks for both drivers and officials when evaluating on-track conduct.
Read also: Carlos Sainz Sr. withdraws from FIA presidency race
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