Rain tire, DRS, budget, truce: the F1 Commission announces its first measures for 2023

The first meeting of the Commission Formula 1 in 2023 has not been idle. This Tuesday, February 21, it first validated the change of rain tire developed by Pirelli. This compound, which will be available from the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola (May 19-21), is described as “much more efficient than the previous version”. It no longer requires the use of an electric blanket beforehand.

In addition, the Commission approved the proposal to relax the regulation of radio messages to and from drivers at any time during a session and a race, without said regulation being further clarified.

Furthermore, as part of reducing the excessive workload currently weighing on FIA technical staff and technical inspectors during weekends including a Sprint race, the Commission has approved greater freedom in the phase of parc ferme between qualifying on Friday afternoon and the start of the Sprint race on Saturday.

Mechanics will have greater leeway to change parts likely to be damaged, and wider use of teams' self-declared Parc Fermé forms will be tolerated.

The FIA ​​has confirmed various circuit updates and changes for the upcoming season:
– Saudi Arabia – significant changes have been made to improve visibility when entering corners wherever possible.
– Azerbaijan – the track will be completely resurfaced.
– Miami – the track will be completely resurfaced.
– Zandvoort – space between pit stop positions increased by 1,5m
– Qatar – A new pit building and paddock infrastructure will be constructed.

The FIA ​​has analyzed the DRS zones for 2022 and some changes are being made to make overtaking easier or more difficult on certain circuits where it was not considered a sufficient challenge. These changes will be implemented in Bahrain, Jeddah, Melbourne, Baku and Miami, and involve adjusting detection and activation zones. Additionally, in Melbourne, the 4th activation zone will be reestablished.

Finally, minor amendments to the 2023 sporting, technical and financial regulations were unanimously approved. These include the introduction of a winter break period for competitors and manufacturers of power units (Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault, Honda), language to ensure that shorter races award reduced points even if they do not end in a red flag, and language to allow easier access to factories for the Honda audit team. FIA, in order to control the adherence of teams and Power Unit manufacturers to the financial regulations and operational limitations of the technical and sporting regulations.

An increase in the cost cap adjustment for exceeding the number of races of 21 Grands Prix per season was agreed from $1,2 million to $1,8 million per race, based on the fact that the trend of additional races added to the calendar are in continents outside of Europe, which represent more expensive travel.