Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsFormula 1

Driver aid restrictions to come in from Belgian GP

F1 drivers will be hit with increased restrictions on driver aids and coaching from the Belgian Grand Prix onwards.

The FIA announced such a move following a meeting of the Strategy Group at Biggin Hill on Wednesday, which it states will have "a particular emphasis on race starts". The move is designed to "bring back the driver in full control of the car, enhancing races excitement and unpredictability.

The move is one of a number discussed during the Strategy Group meeting, with another proposed change being to the power unit regulations:

"Following the Austrian GP, an overhaul of the power unit penalties has been unanimously agreed and will be submitted to the F1 Commission via an express fax vote for an adoption at the World Motor Sport Council in Mexico City next week, together with change to the exhaust system that will improve engine noise for 2016.

"Furthermore, It was agreed to allow an extra power unit per driver in the first year to any new manufacturer entering the championship and, for the sake of fairness, the measure will apply retroactively to Honda for the 2015 season."

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.