F1 commission approves key changes ahead of 2023 season

Formula 1 Commission has just concluded its first meeting of the year, approving several key regulatory changes to be deployed over the year ahead. Here are the highlights from the 21 February meeting in London:

Wet weather tyre package and testing

Pirelli has tested a new wet weather tyre which is much more performant than the previous specification, and it does not require the use of tyre blankets.

The F1 Commission has approved this change to the tyre specification, and it will be available from the 2023 FIA Formula 1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Additionally, the teams have offered their support for the wet weather package project, and a Technical Directive is being prepared to allow them to do such work outside the Aerodynamic Testing Restriction (ATR) limits and outside the cost cap.

Track testing will be planned for the second or third quarter of 2023.

Radio messages between teams and drivers

The Commission approved the proposal to relax the regulation of radio messages to and from the drivers at all times during a competition.

Revised Parc Fermé request acceptance policy

In the context of reducing the current excessive workload on FIA technical staff and scrutineers during events that include a Sprint session, the Commission approved a revised Parc Fermé request acceptance policy.

This policy allows for a greater scope to change components that are prone to getting damaged and greater use of self-declared Parc Fermé forms.

This will be implemented via a Technical Directive and will apply for the whole Parc Fermé period from when the car leaves for Qualifying on Friday to when the car starts the race.

Circuit changes

The FIA confirmed various updates and changes to circuits for the coming season:

• Saudi Arabia – significant changes have been to improve visibility on corner entry wherever possible
• Azerbaijan – the track will be completely resurfaced
• Miami – the track will be completely resurfaced
• Zandvoort – space between the pit stop positions has increased by 1.5m
• Qatar – A new pit building and paddock infrastructure will be built

DRS zones

The FIA has analysed DRS zones for 2022 and some changes made for 2023 in order to either facilitate overtaking, or make it harder in certain circuits where it was deemed not to be enough of a challenge.

These changes will be implemented in Bahrain, Jeddah, Melbourne, Baku and Miami, and involve the adjustment of detection and activation zones, and additionally in Melbourne the 4^th activation zone will be reinstated.

Sporting, Technical, and Financial regulations

Minor amendments to the 2023 Sporting, Technical, and Financial Regulations were unanimously approved.

These included the introduction of a winter shutdown period for both Competitors and PU Manufacturers, wording to ensure that shorter races have reduced points even if they don't finish with a suspended race, and wording to allow easier access to the factories for the FIA auditing team in order to police the adherence of the teams and PU Manufacturers to the Financial Regulations, and to the Operational limitations of the Technical and Sporting Regulations.

An increase of the cost cap adjustment for additional races above 21 was agreed from 1.2M$ to 1.8M$ per race, on the basis that the trend of the additional races being added to the calendar has been towards fly-aways, which are more expensive.

All regulatory changes are subject to approval by the World Motor Sport Council.