Drivers Demand Qualifying Overhaul and Safety Fixes as FIA Rolls Out Immediate Rule Tweaks

The FIA’s Single‑Seater Director Nikolas Tombazis revealed that drivers entered Monday’s rule‑change meeting with a united message: they want a more engaging qualifying format and urgent safety upgrades. Their consensus helped shape a package of measures the governing body approved on April 20, set to take effect at the Miami Grand Prix.

Why it matters:

• A more exciting qualifying can boost on‑track action and fan appeal.
• Addressing start‑line safety concerns protects drivers and curtails costly incidents.

The details:

• Drivers asked for changes that let them “push harder” in qualifying, prompting tweaks to session length and tyre allocation.
• Safety worries focused on start‑grid procedures and runoff protection, leading to revised protocols and extra barriers at high‑risk corners.
• The new rules cover qualifying, race‑start and post‑start incident handling and will be trialled from Miami onward.

What's next:

• Miami will be the first test bed; data from the weekend will show whether further tweaks are needed.
• If the changes improve safety and excitement, the FIA may roll them out across the calendar, reshaping the competitive landscape as the 2026 power‑unit era approaches.