The final Formula 1 Commission meeting of 2023 has taken place with changes to the Sprint format and a scrap on the tyre blanket ban among the key discussion points.
The meeting, which was chaired by FIA Single-Seater Director Nikolas Tombazis and Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali, was held at the Yas Marina Circuit.
Since being introduced at select grands prix throughout the year in 2021, the Sprint configuration has undergone several revisions in the intervening years.
However, the format’s failure to deliver exciting racing and the impact it had on the disqualifications in the United States GP led to calls for further alterations.
The Commission has voiced its support for an overhaul of the Sprint format and the separation of the sessions from those related to the main grand prix weekend.
The final calendar for the 2024 Sprint events will be published in the coming weeks. Any tweaks to the system, notably regarding timing and parc ferme regulations, will be formed in a final proposal presented to the F1 Commission at its first meeting of 2024.
Meanwhile, the Commission also agreed that the proposed ban on tyre blankets, which had previously been touted as a possible addition, should be abandoned for 2025.
That suggestion comes amid a consensus that the direction for future tyre development “should be focused on reducing issues of overheating and improving the raceability of the tyres”.
Furthermore, the relevant appendices to the Sporting and Technical regulations stipulating that a future decision on tyre blankets will be made in July 2024 have been removed.
The regulation regarding the Alternative Tyre Allocation (ATA) rule, trialled at two rounds this year, has also been removed. The standard 13 sets of tyres will remain for 2024.
After complaints regarding the severe temperatures experienced at the Qatar Grand Prix last month, the FIA announced that it would launch an investigation into the situation.
Following on from that, the Commission has today approved updates to the Technical regulations permitting a scoop to be fitted to each car in order to improve driver cooling.
The meeting also reveals that “additional analysis” is currently being undertaken surrounding “supplementary cooling options for more extreme conditions”.
Elsewhere, the Commission confirmed that further trials will be carried out in spring next year amid continued attempts to reduce the spray in wet weather conditions.
The upcoming trial “will use a cover design that completely envelops the tyre to establish a proof of concept for the wheel cover with these cars and help define the future direction”.
Looking ahead to F1’s next regulation change coming in 2026, the Commission has decided that no work should be carried out on the next generation of cars before the start of 2025.
A safety-related amendment to the Technical regulations was also approved to mitigate the danger created by metallic components situated on the floors of the cars in the event that they become detached at any stage by limiting both their mass and number.
Finally, the Commission also ratified that further adjustments should be made to exclude the Sustainability Initiative Costs from the financial regulations.
The report reads that this “specifically refers to costs that are attributable to defining and identifying sustainability objectives and the strategy envisaged to achieve these”.
