How little-known new overtaking rules are affecting F1

Formula 1 has new racing rules this year that are already influencing stewarding decisions before becoming fully regulatory in 2025.

What is allowed in battle was subtly changed ahead of the 2024 season with new formal guidelines that will be enshrined in the FIA International Sporting Code next year.

Several races, most recently the Miami Grand Prix, have now featured clashes between drivers that have led to the stewards referring to new guidelines that are not publicly available.

So, what’s prompted a change, and what do the new-for-2024 racing rules actually say?

WHAT’S CHANGED FOR 2024

The changes come from a 2024 initiative to define the rules of racing more specifically than ever, and essentially codify the ‘let them race’ policy that has been pushed by governing body the FIA for several years.

They are a clear step on from two years ago when, following concerns about the consistency of decision-making and drivers not knowing what was allowed, a set of informal racing guidelines was introduced and shared in F1, F2 and F3.

This is far more wide-reaching as the official ‘Driving Standards Guidelines’ will apply to all categories of circuit racing with the intention of being a consistent reference for drivers and officials, and by extension those watching.

When this was first toyed with in 2022, some drivers interpreted the guidance differently, and there were often contradictions between what was on paper and what happened in reality.

Unsurprisingly, trying to specify ‘Car X needs to be this far alongside Car Y’ was too oversimplified, especially with no emphatic requirement to leave space on the exit of the corner.

The wording always implied anything was fair game as long as you got your front wheels alongside the other car’s front wheels at the apex. It did not seem to matter how much entry speed you took in, or whether you ran the other car off the road on the exit.

One of the most encouraging parts of the 2024 guidelines is a clear acknowledgement early on that “racing is a dynamic process”, which stresses that the specific relative positions cited are just one element.

Factors being considered when reviewing an incident

• How did the cars get to the incident (for example late braking, diving in, moving under braking)?
• Was the manoeuvre late or optimistic?
• What could the drivers reasonably see, know, or anticipate?
• Could the manoeuvre be completed on the track?
• Was there understeer, oversteer or locking?
• Did someone position or handle their car in a way that contributed to the incident?
• Did the type of corner contribute to the incident (for example camber, kerbs, curve, or apexes)?
• What were the relative tyre compounds, age and grip levels?

All of these were relevant factors before. But now it is emphatically made clear they don’t just get overridden by basic, simplified guidance.

OVERTAKING ON THE INSIDE

The new guidelines get specific…