Chairman of the FIA F1 stewards Garry Connelly says that there was “no finger pointing” in Thursday evening’s meeting at Qatar to discuss the Driving Standard Guidelines and overtaking.
The drivers met with Connelly and other key FIA personnel to discuss ways of improving the guidelines following recent controversies.
The drivers were keen to point out that circuit layouts and the availability of run-off areas are a key issue.
“The meeting was the most productive one we’ve [ever] attended,” said Connelly in an FIA statement. “The drivers were fantastic with their input. Very constructive. There was not one negative comment. There was no finger-pointing.
“It was very inspiring to see the world’s best drivers, communicating clearly and speaking constructively on how we can improve the Driving Standard Guidelines to the benefit of the drivers and to make all of our jobs easier.
“As stewards, we are not here to inflict pain on drivers. We’re here to provide a level playing field. It’s not us against the drivers, it’s the drivers against the drivers and we’re here to make sure everyone gets a fair go.
“We have an open door policy. The door to the stewards’ room is always open to any driver who wants to come up and talk to us about a decision that’s been taken either in relation to them or in relation to any other driver. We think Thursday’s meeting emphasised that open door policy.”
Connelly stressed that the Qatar meeting was not a one-off, and rather part of a ongoing process.
“The Driving Standard Guidelines are a living document, so every year, as the F1 stewards we try to meet with the drivers, sporting directors and FIA representatives, to see if we need to tweak the guidelines to use the experience of the last 12 months and see what improvements we can make to ensure consistency. The goal of the guidelines is consistency.
“As stewards, if drivers and teams and the FIA agree that they want rules or guidelines to allow more aggressive driving, we’ll apply those rules or guidelines. Likewise, if they want stricter driving standards, we’ll apply those.”
FIA’s single-seater sporting director Tim Malyon, who has played a key role working with race director Niels Wittich and his replacement Rui Marques, agreed that the Qatar gathering was a positive one.
“We will always try and facilitate such meetings,” said Malyon. “Because gaining the feedback, the insight of the drivers, is extremely important in allowing us to evolve the guidelines in the right direction.
“We’ve had some very constructive driver meetings at the last few races, and this was a specific meeting set up to provide the space for that dialogue to continue, so that we can have the open exchange that we need with the drivers in order to be able to evolve the guidelines for next year
“We typically hold a meeting like that at least once a year, sometimes twice a year, depending on the topics that arise. This year we’ve timed this meeting following the constructive discussions in Mexico and Austin.”
Malyon also addressed the drivers’ concerns about run-off areas.
“As the FIA, we work continuously with circuits to evolve in many ways,” he said. “Obviously, we are working on the safety aspect of circuits. But what that meeting highlighted is that there are a number of considerations on the sporting side, which we can prioritise for circuits going forward.
“As we have done this year, we introduced the gravel traps, starting in Austria, and obviously, with this weekend being perhaps the most obvious with gravel traps added in a in a number of places.
“We continue to work with circuits on all topics, but it was very useful in yesterday’s meeting to get the insight of the drivers and see how they prioritise the gravel trap concept, not only for track limits, but also for managing some of the situations that have arisen with overtaking during the course of the last four or five races.
“In all, there was a commitment to work together to find solutions that work for everyone.”
