Proposed Rule Changes To Shutdown Loopholes In Formula 1

It is the dawn of a new era in regulations for Motorsport in Formula 1 considering the overhaul of the championship in the technical and financial sectors.

As a part of the revamp, Formula 1 boss, Ross Brawn, claimed there were also going to be changes in the manner the sport is governed. These would allow the FIA and Formula 1 to come up with changes to the regulations faster, especially if a team finds a loophole.

At present, all teams have agreed to a change in the rules if they are done during the season. Both the FIA and F1 have been working to breaking these regulations set to expire in 2021 as a means of closing off loopholes.

At the moment, if teams can take advantage of loopholes in the regulations, they would have to wait until the end of the season. That way, the governing body can amend it and bar teams from exploiting the same.

It will not be the case in 2021. Brawn stated the regulation previously had been the teams would have to agree to the change.

What they are doing is pushing through the governance where it is possible to make changes faster on short notice as compared to the present time.

A new rulemaking process that is being proposed for 2021 entails ten votes each for teams, for the F1 and the FIA.

The changes for the next year would only require a majority vote of 25, whereas more immediate changes to the rules would need the support from a "super" majority of 28 votes.

That means there are situations where if one or two teams have found a loophole around the rules, they are not going to prevent the rest of the field from coming down on it with immediate effect.

Brawn added that if one team stands out with a solution that had not been conceived before and was never imagined and it destroys the principle of what is trying to be accomplished, then governance would allow the other teams to stop it if there is enough support.

He does not think the new structure is going to stifle the level of innovation. He claimed the moves to change the regulations are only going to be pushed through if there is an exploitation of a grey area.