The FIA and the drivers will review the principles set out on how to defend by the end of the season

The regulatory body of Formula 1, the FIA, has decided to modify the wording of its "guidelines", its sporting regulations, which caused controversy after the incident between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris in Austin last week. The update of these guidelines should be applied from the Qatar Grand Prix, in a month.

Max Verstappen, at the wheel of his Red Bull, and Lando Norris, on board his McLaren, battled it out in the final laps of the USA Grand Prix in Austin, triggering controversy over the validity of certain defensive moves, made in this case by Max Verstappen.

At the request of the drivers and to prevent problems, the FIA organized a meeting with the drivers this Friday at the Mexican Grand Prix to address these concerns. The objective was to respond to criticisms regarding the tactics used by Max Verstappen, considered by some drivers to be on the edge of the regulations.

During the press release of the appeal rendered yesterday by the FIA, the stewards acknowledged the difficulty of judging certain actions. According to information provided by the media in a statement, the FIA intends to fill a loophole in the regulations, which has been cleverly exploited by Max Verstappen to defend himself in his recent races.

Other similar cases were also discussed during this meeting. The FIA plans to submit its proposal for revising the guidelines to the drivers at a meeting in Qatar next month. As these are guidelines, they can be implemented immediately by stewards without requiring approval from other internal bodies of the FIA.

The Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) must also validate these guidelines, and not all drivers agree on the incidents that occurred in Austin. Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas even declared in Mexico: "Some drivers are pushing the limits of the regulations and it's almost as if they don't care."

The usual meeting between drivers after Free Practice 2 in Mexico lasted well beyond its normal duration. According to Autosport, the session began with an explanation from the FIA about the penalty imposed on Norris for overtaking Verstappen outside the track limits during their late duel in Austin. This meeting was then followed by a discussion with the GPDA, attended by the stewards, team sporting managers, and the F1 management's sporting representative.

The drivers expressed their divergent points of view on Verstappen's behavior. Some supported Norris's opinion, who had stated after the Austin race, and again during the media day in Mexico: "I was no longer the attacking car, [Verstappen] was." Others felt that Verstappen's tactics were tough but in compliance with current rules.

Obtaining complete unanimity among the drivers always seems difficult. However, in a statement addressed to the media, the FIA declared that there was a general commitment to continue updating the guidelines on driving standards.

Given that the drivers have requested the establishment of these guidelines in consultation with the GPDA, the statement continues, each update is done in consultation with them. It was specified that future developments would not be motivated solely by isolated incidents like the one in Austin, but by the desire to ensure consistency in the decisions of the stewards.

The latest major revision of the guidelines - introduced for the first time in 2022 at the request of the drivers - would have taken place after the Singapore Grand Prix 2023.