In a statement, the governing body said the document will soon provide “for the first time a globally consistent reference point to support not only drivers as they develop throughout their careers, but also the race officials and stewards.”
It is set to be released in 2025, once it has been presented to the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council body and will be integrated within Appendix L of the FIA’s International Sporting Code.
The FIA says the DSG production process has been started following consultation with its Drivers’ Committee.
This has members including 2003 World Rally champion Petter Solberg (who is vice-chairman), former F1 racers Karun Chandhok and Emanuele Pirro, and is chaired by Ronan Morgan – the general manager of the Automobile and Touring Club of the United Arab Emirates.
The FIA statement says the DSG will cover “a number of key topics, from driving standards to defending and overtaking manoeuvres, track limits, yellow flags, driver advisors and safety car re-start procedures”.
It adds: “It will eventually also be used to assist with the training of young drivers applying for their first international license.
“This project has been welcomed by some of the world’s top driving talents, with the need for as consistent and fair decision making as is possible within a framework that allows for close, exciting racing identified as the key objective.”
The FIA’s Drivers’ Committee also has a continual invitation to all members of the current Grand Prix Drivers’ Association and is understood to have asked the current crop of F1 drivers if they would give input into the new DSG creation process.
Standards enforced in F1 will be applied at every level of global motorsport, with current drivers invited to shape the guidelines
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Motorsport.com understands that much of the DSG will be based on existing F1 best practice standards, which when it comes to racing are also called the ‘Driving Standards Guidelines’.
These are issued to F1 drivers to provide consistency on the judgments of their wheel-to-wheel action, should the need arise.
The last such update was issued in 2022, although the FIA reviews the matter at the start of each season and will issue a fresh clarification if required.
It does not change the guidelines mid-way through a year to avoid tainting part of a live competition by having different rules effectively apply to events that have already taken place.
One F1 driver to already offer the new DSG creation process their approval is Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.
The Spaniard is quoted in the FIA release saying: “Promoting driving standards across motorsport is vitally important.
“I’ve been in my fair share of on-track battles throughout my 23-years of racing in multiple categories of motorsports.
“Each battle requires an understanding and respect between fiercely competitive racers.
Alonso has slowed his approval to the measure
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
“We need consistency in how drivers attack and defend on the race track, as well as how the rules are interpreted during all competitions.
“I want to promote clean driving for the current racing generation, and the upcoming racers who are learning their craft and wanting to have professional careers in the future.
“Everyone has a responsibility to enjoy racing but do it fairly. The FIA’s new Drivers’ Standards Guideline will be crucial.”
It is understood one of the key objectives of the DSG will be to assist young drivers when they start to climb the motorsport ranks, as standards such as F1’s existing DSG are currently only distributed at such a level.
The DSG plan was revealed at Wednesday’s meeting of the WMSC in Geneva, where the FIA also signed off on the plans to change F1’s sprint weekend format, as had already been agreed by the F1 Commission.
This rubber stamps the plan to have sprint qualifying take place on Friday afternoons, with sprint races following on Saturday mornings before grand prix qualifying sessions are conducted later on such days under different parc ferme restrictions.
The WMSC also formally approved rules provisions to allow F1 teams to add cooling devices for their drivers in cases of extreme heat.
It also “approved single suppliers for the 2026 power units for the oil level sensor, the fuel flow meter and pressure and temperature sensors”, per an FIA statement.
