The FIA has revised the penalties and fines under International Sporting Code’s Appendix B after consultation with F1 and WRC drivers.
After the Appendix B carried hefty penalties for drivers competing in FIA-run championships, there was a silent uproar in the driver community regarding the extent of penalties. On the F1 side, it was an ongoing situation from 2024 itself when Max Verstappen was at the receiving end.
That led to concerns from the GPDA, who wanted transparency to understand where their fine money is being utilised. During the winter, the FIA handed out a new guideline under Appendix B of International Sporting Code, which carried hefty fines for all drivers – larger ones for drivers in F1.
This did not sit well with the drivers. It extended to WRC racers as well, who created its own WoRDA to push a dialogue with the FIA after Adrien Fourmaux was handed a hefty. Both F1 and WRC drivers held separate talks with the stewards, after which they were satisfied with the pending changes.
After a WMSC vote, the revisions have been confirmed by the FIA, where the base penalty has been reduced from 10,000 euros to 5,000 euros. There is liberty given to the stewards to understand the different types of offences, whether done under controlled or uncontrolled environment.
The multiples of the fines will be decided by the stewards as well. The drivers can be fined up to 20,000 euros in case of violence or hatred shown and display of political and religious message. In terms of abuse on officials, the drivers will earn sporting penalties of various forms.
The F1, F2, F3 and Formula E drivers can earn a minimum of three-place grid drop for offences in sessions before the sprint or race. If done so during it, they are eligible for 5s time penalty or more. On the rally side, the drivers will have time added to their total time.
“As a former rally driver, I know firsthand the range of emotions that are faced during competition. I have led an extensive and collaborative review with contributions from across the seven FIA World Championships, FIA Member Clubs and other motor sports organisations,” said Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
“The improvements the FIA has announced today to Appendix B will ensure we continue to promote the best of sportsmanship in motor sport, while also giving Stewards effective guidelines to act against individuals who may bring the sport into disrepute. The FIA will always be committed to ensuring motor sport is accessible for all our sporting family.”
Ronan Morgan, President of the Drivers’ Committee, said: “Drivers are looked up to as role models by young fans and are rightly seen as ambassadors for the wider world of motor sport, how they act really does matter but it is important to recognise that there is a difference between what is said during a race and in a press conference. Today’s changes further strengthen the FIA’s International Sporting Code supporting our drivers by understanding the pressures they face during the heat of competition.”
And Garry Connelly, Formula One Stewards Chair and World Motor Sport Council member, added: “I would like to thank the FIA President for his leadership with initiating the review of Appendix B. The revised version will ensure that Stewards have effective guidance in place to help them differentiate between on- and off-track issues.
“I am pleased that stewards will continue to maintain the full discretion to consider any mitigating factors to ensure that a penalty is applied fairly to a specific situation, in particular to take into account the circumstances of the driver concerned. These changes will ensure motor sport can be enjoyed by fans of all ages and will continue all our collective efforts to grow the sport globally.”
Here’s FIA statement –
The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the global governing body for motor sport and the federation for mobility organisations worldwide, has today announced that it will be making major improvements to Appendix B of the ISC following an extensive review which was commissioned by FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem. The latest version of Appendix B was introduced in January 2025, aligning the FIA with other global sporting organisations such as FIFA, the National Football League and World Rugby, all of which have strong codes of conduct to protect the integrity of their respective sports.
The ISC provides the stewards with the necessary regulatory tools to ensure they have all relevant information regarding the range of penalties that may be imposed and the procedures to be followed. This enables them to apply penalties in a consistent and transparent manner. The review was carried out in collaboration with the FIA Drivers’ Committee and its President, Ronan Morgan, as well as the FIA Formula One Steward Chairs, represented by Garry Connelly. Input was also received from FIA Members Clubs and other motor sport organisations across the seven FIA World Championships.
The main changes to Appendix B are as follows:
- The base maximum penalty has been reduced generally from €10,000 to €5,000. This is a reduction of 50%. However, for FIA World Championships, where multipliers were involved, the reductions will be even more significant.
- Stewards will have the option to fully suspend a penalty for certain types of breach, provided it is the first offence by the driver or team.
- Following approval via e-vote by the WMSC, the amended Appendix B will allow stewards to differentiate between controlled and non-controlled environments, effectively recognising the difference between language used in “uncontrolled” and “controlled” environments. Controlled environments include settings such as press conferences, while uncontrolled environments refer to spontaneous comments made by drivers or teams when on track or during a rally stage.
- Mitigating circumstances will continue to be considered, with additional guidance available to promote consistency and fairness for all parties in the application of Appendix B.
- Abuse of officials will now result in sporting penalties rather than fines, aligning motor sport with other major global sports organisations
- Racial and discriminatory comments will continue to be addressed firmly.
Stewards will retain the supreme authority to decide which penalty to impose in the event of a breach of the ISC.
Here’s F1 celebrating 75th anniversary
Here’s second trailer of F1 movie
Here’s full video of LEGO car race from Miami GP
Here’s Q1 details of F1 2025
Here’s Cadillac showing its logo
Here’s George Russell, Lewis Hamilton on Mohammed Ben Sulayem/GPDA
