Oscar Piastri reacts to FIA rules made public

Two documents have been published. First, the Guidelines on Conduct Standards, introduced at the request of drivers in 2022, clarify conduct in various racing situations, including overtaking on the inside and outside of turns. Also addressed are re-entering the track after an incident, behavior behind the safety car, and track limit violations, for example.

The second document, on the other hand, concerns the Guidelines on Penalties, which have been in place for about ten years. It lists around a hundred common infractions along with the recommended penalties and penalty points that should be applied during each session of a race weekend.

Until now only the drivers and their teams had access to these documents. Questioned at a press conference, Oscar Piastri wants to remind that these rules should not be taken literally. Just because it’s written in black and white doesn’t mean it happens that way in reality.

« I think the first important thing to point out is that these are guidelines. They are not unchangeable rules. It’s impossible to try to express all racing scenarios in words. So it’s a very difficult task. I think these guidelines give the stewards some indications of what should be acceptable and what is not. Obviously, there are still degrees of factors that can’t really be put into writing. Every situation is different, but I think it allows us at least, as drivers, to clearly know what is allowed and what is not, » he explains.

« Even if you have written 10 pages of lines, a driver will always find a gray area, solely depending on the situation they find themselves in. So I think it’s important to recognize this and not jump to conclusions like « it says this in this sentence, so that’s what should happen ». It’s always in the hands of the commissioners. »