FIA and F1 team bosses agree to change rule after Lando Norris escaped penalty

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The FIA and Formula 1 team bosses have now agreed to change a rule after McLaren driver Lando Norris escaped a penalty, with the revision also coming in immediately.

F1 directors, the FIA and the 10 teams all convened for the Formula 1 Commission last week to discuss changes. It was the second time they had convened in 2024, with topics including pre-season testing for 2025 and alterations to the championship points allocations debated.

The FIA’s single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis plus Formula 1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali chaired the meeting. And while there will not be any immediate changes to F1’s points allocations, F1 and the FIA will tweak one rule starting from this weekend’s Miami GP.

F1 changes its jump start rule after Lando Norris’ infraction at the Saudi Arabian GP

That is according to Motorsport-Total, which reports that the FIA and F1 team bosses agreed to change Formula 1’s rules concerning jump starts with immediate effect. The issue of jump starts going unpunished rose after Norris avoided a sanction at the 2024 Saudi Arabian GP.

Norris clearly moved inside his grid box before the five red lights went out, which Mercedes rival George Russell spotted instantly. But the McLaren driver did not trigger the sensor that detects jump starts, despite moving. So, the stewards would not penalise Norris for moving.

READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from height and parents to celebration

The 24-year-old quickly stopped his MCL38 on the limits of the grid box before setting off. It was enough to avoid triggering the sensor which automatically detects any movement. But the FIA’s stewards will now put less significance on the sensors when ruling on jump starts.

F1 team bosses agreed to tweak Article 48 of the Formula 1 sporting regulations during last week’s commission meeting. It now features point 48.1 A, which allows the stewards to rule that the driver made a jump start if their car moves once the four-second lamp illuminates.

Valtteri Bottas and Sebastian Vettel have also avoided penalties for jump starts

So, from this weekend’s Miami GP, drivers will now merit a penalty if they move on the grid like Norris did at the Saudi Arabian GP. Sauber star Valtteri Bottas also escaped a penalty for a jump start at the 2020 Hungarian GP and Sebastian Vettel did so at the 2019 Japanese GP.

The rule change will no doubt delight and frustrate some drivers as they no longer get a bit of leeway. Russell was straight on Mercedes’ team radio to report Norris’ jump start at the Saudi Arabian GP. But the shoe could easily be on the other foot and now receive a penalty.