Taking the number of Sprints from three to six in the 2023 season seemed like a certain decision. Advanced by Liberty Media and also promoted by all 10 team representatives in the F1 Commission meeting held yesterday 26 April 2022, however the proposal did not find the consensus of the Federation, and of the new president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
For approval, the Commission must cast at least 26 votes in favor out of a total of 30, 10 of which reserved for the FIA, 10 for the teams and 10 for those who hold the commercial rights, i.e. Liberty Media. The response from the International Federation however, despite the fact that the proposal had been received positively by the teams as well, decided to go against the tide and reject it. The Federation, represented primarily by President Ben Sulayem, clarified its position by declaring that it wants more economic certainty on the impact of the Sprints, and that, if necessary, it could re-evaluate the proposal.
Through a press release arrived yesterday evening, the FIA expressed itself as follows on the decision "While supporting the idea of introducing a greater number of sprint races, the FIA is still evaluating the impact of this proposal on its work and that of the personnel present on the racetracks, and will provide its feedback to the Commission as soon as possible”.
Also discussed the guidelines from 2026
Among the other issues discussed in the committee there is also that relating to the guidelines for Power Units starting from 2026 and the ability to introduce new manufacturers. The key point will be to bring 100% sustainable fuel, with the elimination of the MGU-H and a relative decrease in engine power. One of the objectives is also to make the competition more accessible to new manufacturers, reducing overall costs.
"The FIA has set the following preliminary objectives following the simulation work of its aerodynamic department – clarified the International Federation – objectives which have been well received by the Commission”.
The fixed points are: less drag, maintenance of the improvements on the slipstream behavior of the single-seaters to favor the show without being conditioned by the flows of the car in front, reduction in weight and dimensions of the cars, increase in the standardization of the components with more economical and sustainable technologies , and progress on the security front.
Another unanimously approved element concerns an update of the 2023 Technical Regulations which will make the use of the famous "helmet camera“, i.e. the cameras integrated into the riders' helmets, currently adopted only by some teams. The devices, which must first of all be compatible with the safety standards imposed, given the proximity to the pilots' eyes, trying to offer the public as truthful a view as possible of what the pilots see, are already being tested in this first part of the season, and so far the feedback has been positive from both the teams and the riders who have tried the system.
Source: Motorsport.com
