The FIA has introduced new strict “bad behavior” penalties, which can go as far as racing exclusions and points withdrawals from the Championship for Formula 1 pilots from the 2025 season.
According to the new guidelines, the commissioners will now have the power to inflict significant fines from the first offense for differences such as swears or criticisms of the governing body. In the event of a recurrence, the sanctions will further increase, a decision which risks arouse concern among the pilots engaged in the FIA championships, including in F1.
This development is involved in a context of increasing tensions between FIA and pilots, especially since President Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s statements at the end of last season. He had taken a position against the use of swear, an implicit reference to Max Verstappen, who had employed a vulgar term at a press conference before the Singapore Grand Prix. This episode had helped to deteriorate relations between the two parties, the discomfort extending throughout the weekend to Marina Bay and in the following weeks.
The Association of Grand Prix pilots (GPDA) then published a press release denounced the management of the situation by Ben Sulayem and its recourse to the media to communicate with the pilots.
A few months later, tensions could reappear with the official publication of the International Sports Code (CSI) updated for 2025. In this document, Annex B, initially devoted to “Code of good conduct”, Now establishes five specific offenses punishable by reinforced sanctions.
Importantly, the document includes a multiplier for the severity of the financial sanction listed for the first cases. This means that F1 pilots will have to pay the amount suggested for the basic fines four times.
In addition to the subsections mentioned above, “any faulty behavior ” can now be sanctioned under new guidelines, which are stated in article 20 of the CSI.
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In this section, the term “mischievous“Is defined as follows and”must be understood in particular, but without limiting itself: the general use of a language (written or verbal), a gesture and/or a sign which is offensive, insulting, coarse, impolia or abusive and which one could reasonably expect to be coarse or rude or that it is perceived as such, or that it can offend, humiliate or be inappropriate. ”
This also includes: “The attacks (elbow, kick, punches, strokes, etc.) and the incentive to commit one of the actions aforementioned. ”
The guidelines set out in Annex B clearly specify that “The commissioners retain the discretion to take into account any attenuating and/or aggravating circumstance as well as the nature and the place of the event, in order to adapt the sanction to the specific situation. ”
This provision could therefore be decisive for the rigor with which the new suggestions will be followed, which is particularly important given the severity of the sanctions provided for the second and third offenses, namely suspensions and deductions of points.
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