The FIA shares details of US GP in terms of track limits, circuit changes, DRS and more, as WMSC notes is also shared regarding some changes.
The track limits as per FIA Race Directors’ note for F1 US GP remains the white lines, but there is additional note about tackling Turn 20. “If a driver fails to negotiate turn 20, this may result in that lap time and the immediately following lap time being invalidated by the Stewards,” it states.
There’s also only couple of changes made to Circuit of the Americas from last year:
- Added a blue line at Turn 8 (apex), Turn 10 (exit) and Turn 13 (exit).
- Resurface from before Turn 3 to before Turn 7.
In terms of the DRS zones as per the FIA preview, the first detection is 150m after Turn 10, while the activation is 345m after Turn 11. At the same time, the second detection zone is 65m after Turn 18, while activation is 80m after Turn 20.
The FIA stewards panel will be led by Felix Holter, with able support from Matthew Selley, Enrique Bernoldi and Steve Pence. Much like the last weekend in Singapore, the Heat Hazard note was affirmed for this weekend’s US GP as well, due to the temperature exceeding 31 degrees celsius.
The F1 drivers will not be mandated to wear the cooling vest per se, but the ones not using it will have to carry a ballast to make it even for all. There was also a note from the FIA and Formula 1 on the decisions taken in the World Motor Sport Council meet held earlier on Thursday.
The note highlighted synergy between the FIA and Formula One Management, where Mohammed Ben Sulayen and Stefano Domenicali stressed on working together to take the sport to higher than current level in the time to come. The statement comes at a time when Concorde Agreement is being sorted.
It stated: “The FIA President and the President and CEO of FOM highlighted the strong partnership between the two organisations, and praised all stakeholders for the overall health of the sport. As the process of finalising the new Concorde Governance Agreement for the FIA Formula One World Championship nears its conclusion, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem commented, “As we continue our positive discussions with FOM and the teams to conclude the new agreement, together we have the chance to make history.
“Our close collaboration will enable the championship to continue to grow globally, attracting an ever-increasing numbers of fans and delivering a future that will enable the FIA to consolidate its role as the regulator. Our priorities are to continue to improve safety across all our single seater series, support the pathway for young drivers and ultimately to see our beloved sport grow. My thanks to Stefano Domenicali and his team, and representatives from all parties, as we build towards conclusion.”
Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of FOM, added, “Thanks to FIA and volunteers and ASNs for all their commitment and effort. This is an incredible moment, with our two roles working with clarity towards a strong future. We have built good momentum over the past few months and made great progress to ensure sound governance for the sustainability and well-being of the sport.”
In addition, there were some minor changes made to the technical regulation for 2026 on various topics, with the large change being made to ADUO concept (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities). The intention is to provide opportunities to power unit manufacturers to catch up.
As part of it, the FIA will monitor the performance of all the power unit manufacturers after Races 6, 12 and 18, and analysing that, they will help with additional changes to homologation, cost cap relief and development hours, in order to bridge the gap.
It stated: “The World Council approved minor changes to the 2026 Technical Regulations relating to the survival cell, suspension, aerodynamic components and Power Unit, to the Power Unit Financial Regulations and to the Operational Regulations. These changes were part of the ongoing collaboration between the FIA, FOM and the teams and power unit manufacturers to refine the regulations.
The most significant of these changes related to the ADUO concept (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities), which is intended to provide greater development opportunities for PU manufacturers who find themselves significantly behind their competition in terms of performance. Performance will be measured between all Power Units continuously, and after Races 6, 12 and 18 ADUO could be allocated to address such a situation, providing:
- Additional possibilities to change the homologation of the Power Unit.
- Additional cost cap relief.
- Additional development hours on the PU test benches.
In addition, measures were introduced to provide cost cap relief to a PU Manufacturer who could find themselves facing serious reliability issues, that could otherwise be very damaging under the cost cap.
Here’s full FIA WMSC: https://www.fia.com/news/sustainable-energy-heart-latest-updates-approved-fia-world-motor-sport-council
Here’s full FIA Race Directors’ note: https://www.fia.com/system/files/decision-document/2025_united_states_grand_prix_-_race_directors_event_notes_.pdf
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