FIA defines driver aid restrictions for 2016

The FIA has clarified the restrictions it will impose on driver aids in 2016 relating to radio and pit board communications.

Article 20.1 of the sporting regulations states 'The driver must drive the car alone and unaided', with the regulation set to be enforced more strictly next season. In preparation for the change, the FIA sent a technical directive to all of the F1 teams last weekend, giving a list of specific messages which will be permitted in 2016.

The majority of the allowed messages relate to the state of the car, pit decisions and competitor information, with the main focus of the restrictions designed to prevent teams from telling drivers which changes to make to the car to optimise its performance. Messages relating to fuel saving are also banned.

The full list of permitted messages is as follows:

  1. Indication of a critical problem with the car, e.g. puncture warning or damage.*
  2. Indication of a problem with a competitor’s car.*
  3. Instruction to enter the pit lane in order to fix or retire the car.*
  4. Marshalling information (yellow flag, red flag, race start aborted or other similar instructions or information from race control).*
  5. Wet track, oil or debris in certain corners.*
  6. Instructions to swap position with other drivers.*
  7. Acknowledgement that a driver message has been heard.
  8. Lap or sector time detail.
  9. Lap time detail of a competitor.
  10. Gaps to a competitor during a practice session or race.
  11. “Push hard”, “push now”, “you will be racing xx” or similar.
  12. Helping with warning of traffic during a practice session or race.
  13. Giving the gaps between cars in qualifying so as to better position the car for a clear lap.
  14. Tyre choice at the next pit stop.
  15. Number of laps a competitor has done on a set of tyres during a race.
  16. Tyre specification of a competitor.
  17. Information concerning a competitor’s likely race strategy.
  18. Safety Car window.
  19. Driving breaches by team driver or competitor, e.g. missing chicanes, running off track, time penalty will be applied etc.
  20. Notification that DRS is enabled or disabled.
  21. Dealing with a DRS system failure.
  22. Change of front wing position at the next pit stop.
  23. Oil transfer.
  24. When to enter the pits.
  25. Reminders to check for white lines, bollards, weighbridge lights when entering or leaving the pits.
  26. Reminders about track limits.
  27. Passing on messages from race control.
  28. Information concerning damage to the car.
  29. Number of laps remaining.
  30. Test sequence information during practice sessions, e.g. aero-mapping.
  31. Weather information.

*These are the only messages that may be passed to the driver, whilst he is in the car and on the track, from the time the car leaves the garage for the first time after the pit lane is open on the day of the race until the start of the race

New regulations relating to the start procedure are already being introduced at this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, with the clutch bite point having to have been fixed by the time drivers leave the pits to head to the grid. Teams are also limited in the information they can give to their drivers over the radio ahead of the start of the race.

At present, drivers have two clutch paddles with which to engage the clutch bite point and launch the car. From 2016, the FIA's technical directive states "only a single clutch operating device may be used for the start". The plan is then to move to a standardised clutch in 2017.

Chris Medland's Belgian Grand Prix preview

Click here for a gallery of the biggest crashes at Spa-Francorchamps 

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

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.

Recent Posts

Brundle sees ‘too close to call’ F1 championship battle for 2025

With the 2025 Formula 1 season just weeks away, Sky F1 pundit Martin Brundle is…

13 hours ago

Coulthard defends Perez criticism amid ‘usual vitriol’ backlash

d David Coulthard, never one to shy away from expressing his opinions, found himself in…

15 hours ago

Alpine: One-year Mercedes gearbox deal gives ‘headroom’ for 2027

Alpine has explained that its decision to adopt Mercedes' gearbox for the first year of…

16 hours ago

Eddie Cheever: Still the American driver with the most F1 starts.

Today, we wish a happy 67th birthday to Eddie Cheever who remains after all these…

17 hours ago

Horner: Strong start with Ferrari could make Hamilton a ‘real factor’

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has weighed in on Lewis Hamilton’s prospects with Ferrari…

19 hours ago

Aston Martin restructures - names Cowell as F1 team principal

Aston Martin F1 has announced a significant restructuring of its senior management team, aimed at…

20 hours ago