The FIA is going to tighten the conditions for the right to review
The FIA intends to strengthen the regulations regarding the revision procedure. The deadline to exercise a right of revision will be reduced from 14 to 4 days. Additionally, fees will be introduced, whereas currently, there are none.
The change project was discussed before Haas’ recent request for a review regarding the track limits violations committed by rivals during the United States Grand Prix, which was rejected last week. A new review appeal that joins a long list this season, and the FIA wants to encourage teams to think twice before undertaking these procedures.
It’s not just Haas who exercised their right of review this season. Indeed, Aston Martin in Saudi Arabia, Ferrari in Australia, and McLaren in Austria also utilized this procedure. It is worth noting that only Aston Martin succeeded in winning their right of review, as they managed to have a penalty given to Fernando Alonso canceled.
The FIA now intends to change both the international sporting code and its own judicial rules for 2024, pending approval at the annual general assembly in December. These changes will apply to all FIA competitions, not just Formula 1.
Originally, there was no time limit for a request for a review, so a team could theoretically challenge the result of a race that had taken place months earlier. This deadline was then extended to 14 days, a timeframe that Haas fully utilized to gather their evidence.
A shortened deadline and fees for filing a claim
It is planned to extend this deadline to 96 hours from the end of the incident or sanction, even though in exceptional circumstances, the stewards may extend the deadline to 120 hours. Fees equivalent to the cost of a call, currently set at €6,000 in the case of F1, will be introduced. This amount will only be refunded if the right to review is respected by the stewards.
Furthermore, changes should be made to the operation of the review request system. Currently, teams can submit a notice of intent to appeal and then have 96 hours during which they can decide whether or not to proceed with a formal appeal.
The problem with the current system is that a notice of intention to appeal can suspend a penalty. Therefore, a driver could receive a penalty on the grid and see it overturned by a notice of intention to appeal. The team could then withdraw from the appeals process, after having raced from the initial grid position.
