Here’s All The Changes F1 Are Making After End-Of-Year Meeting

Posted on November 24, 2023 | by Dre Harrison It’s that time again, the end-of-season F1 Commission meeting took place this morning and like with many of their meetings, there were some interesting tidbits to take away from it as the sport enters the off-season, including the Sprints, wet conditions and tyre blankets! Once again here at WTF1, we don’t believe in boring PDFs, so here’s a general roundup of everything that came out of that meeting.  SPRINT FORMAT CHANGES? No, they’re not going away anytime soon, but it seems the FIA is keen to make further tweaks to the format. They’ve not been announced in this statement, with a follow-up expected at a later date but mentioned in the report were working through potential changes to timings and Parc Ferme regulations after the controversial DQs of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc in Austin.  Final plans for which of the 24 races will be Sprints will likely also be announced in a few weeks’ time. MORE WET WEATHER TESTING There was much talk amongst fans after F1 tried a private test with wheel covers over the tyres to try and improve visibility in the rain. The FIA acknowledged the importance of the testing and announced there’ll be another design concept testing in Spring 2024. The FIA says the design: “Completely envelops the tyre in order to establish a proof of concept for the wheel cover and these cars and help define the future direction of the project.” TYRE BLANKETS SET TO STAY The sport has been attempting to remove tyre blankets from the sport entirely, with testing already being done in Barcelona without them. But with the teams pushing to try and avoid issues like overheating and improving the “raceability” of the tyres, a hard decision on the future of tyre blankets set to take place in July 2024 has now been scrapped, with blankets set to stay through 2025. Also, there’ll be no changes to the amount of tyres over a race weekend, staying at 13 sets. DRIVER COOLING After the chaos of the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix and multiple drivers becoming injured after the extreme heat and humidity, the FIA had permitted scoops can be fitted to the cars to help aid driver cooling. Further options are being explored to help aid the drivers in extreme conditions going forward as well. NO EARLY DEVELOPMENT FOR 2026 The sport’s next major regulation shift is in 2026 when the sport’s power units will be changed, dropping the MGU-H. In the meantime, the commission has agreed with the FIA that no team will be allowed to start developing on their 2026 car until at least the start of the 2025 season so no one can get ahead in the game. ANY OTHER BUSINESS? A few other minor notes, such as the sport adjusting the cost cap so that sustainability measures can be excluded from the count, limiting the number of metal components in the floor in case they become detached from the cars in an accident. What are you making of the changes? Let us know in the comments!