Formula 1 will soon introduce reforms to its protest and appeal process. These changes follow mounting concern that some teams are abusing the FIA protest rules for tactical advantage.
At a recent F1 Commission meeting in London on Tuesday, the FIA confirmed a proposal to revise key legal costs.
Zak Brown Calls for Tougher Penalties
McLaren CEO Zak Brown has voiced strong support for higher fees. Speaking to PlanetF1.com,he believes teams should pay a price if they file baseless accusations.
“I think that some teams, one more than another, use bogus allegations as a disruption tactic,” Brown said. “It wastes a lot of the FIA’s time and resources.”
Brown wants to discourage dishonest behaviour without preventing genuine concerns from being heard. His suggestion: force teams to put real money on the line.
“If you want to make an allegation of another team, no problem. There’s a process; you put money down – it needs to be a chunky number… and it needs to be against your cost cap.”
“If you find something, you get your money back. If not, or it’s deemed frivolous, you lose your money and it counts against the cap. You shouldn’t be able to get away with being dishonest to the FIA or making allegations that have no basis or foundation.” Brown continued.
Brown also dismissed speculation aimed at McLaren.
“There’s no silver bullet somewhere in the race car. The men and women at McLaren developed a really good race car. They’ve done a great job. If teams want to spend their time looking for something that’s not there, instead of developing their own car, that’s up to them.”
FIA Protest Rules Set to Get Tougher
The FIA is also updating timelines and fines. Under new guidelines, teams must request a review within 96 hours, down from 14 days. Only under rare circumstances will a 24-hour extension be granted.
In addition, maximum fines will increase to €1 million. If a protest fails, the deposit won’t be returned. These updates aim to speed up proceedings and reduce misuse.
What This Means for the 2025 Season
- Teams will think twice before launching protests based on weak evidence.
- Time wasted on judicial tactics may now be spent on car development.
- The new FIA protest rules will restore focus on fair competition and transparency.
With these stricter rules on the horizon, Formula 1 hopes to eliminate misuse and protect the integrity of its championship battles.