Verstappen unfazed by FIA rule review: ‘Nothing changes for me'

Max Verstappen insists he won’t be changing his approach to racing despite the FIA’s decision to review its guidelines following a meeting with Formula 1 drivers at the Mexican Grand Prix.

As part of Friday’s traditional drivers’ briefing, the group and the teams’ sporting directors sat down with representatives of the governing body to address the ongoing confusion over how racing incidents are judged, particularly in light of the circumstances that led to the penalty handed by the stewards to McLaren’s Lando Norris in last weekend’s US Grand Prix.

In Austin, Norris was penalized for overtaking Verstappen off the track, yet the Dutchman himself Verstappen was given a free pass for running his rival wide in the first place.

This stewards’ inconsistency sparked a debate about whether Verstappen had exploited a loophole in the current guidelines, prompting the FIA to agree to review the rules by the Qatar GP at the end of November.

However, the reigning world champion remains unfazed by the pending changes.

"For me, in terms of racing, nothing changes," he said. "Look, the rules can always be better, you should always strive for that, right? It's never perfect. I understand that.

• Read also: FIA agrees to tweak F1 racing guidelines after Austin controversy

"But I think, where the problem starts is that on that track you can very easily just drive offline. And if there's just a gravel pit, you never get into that situation either, because the car on the outside never brakes that late as there's obviously the risk of going off.

“And the same on the inside, because then you always go in more carefully, so you never have that scenario.

"On certain circuits with a lot of run-off that is a problem and of course the FIA sees that too. They might also want to, like in Austria, put in a few gravel traps. That does help."

When asked if he believed the new discussions were targeted specifically at his racing style, Verstappen dismissed the idea.

“No. I just think they want to know themselves [what the rules are],” he commented.

Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz, who secured pole position for Ferrari in Mexico, described the meeting as “positive” and “productive.”

The Ferrari driver is confident that the solutions being developed for Qatar will provide everyone with more clarity and improve the on-track action.

"I think it was a positive, productive meeting," he said. "A lot of drivers opened up about how they felt about each situation and what we think is the best way forward.

"How you interpret the rules and those driving guidelines that the stewards are going to apply penalties with, they're still the same coming into this weekend and probably I think they will be applied in a similar manner.

"But I think in Qatar we will have some solutions that hopefully will offer a better understanding for the driver and better racing in general. Hopefully it should be better."

The FIA’s move to review its guidelines underscores the ongoing tension between drivers and officials as the sport seeks to find a consistent standard for racing incidents.

For now, Verstappen remains committed to his approach, while the rest of the grid looks toward Qatar with cautious optimism for more coherent rules in the future.

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