FIA makes F1 rule change after Red Bull Perez controversy

The FIA has adjusted two of F1's rules, one of which is traceable to the controversy that arose during last year's Canadian Grand Prix.

On that occasion, Sergio Perez returned to the Red Bull garage with a badly damaged car following a crash. The team was trying to avoid a safety car to protect the position of Max Verstappen, who went on to win the race. Perez, meanwhile, received a three-place grid penalty for the next race for his actions.

Future incidents will not reoccur following a change to Article 26.10 of the FIA sporting regulations that will allow new race director Rui Marques to force a team to instruct its driver to pull over a severely damaged car.

The new regulation reads: "Any driver whose car has significant and obvious damage to a structural component which results in it being in a condition presenting an immediate risk of endangering the driver or others, or whose car has a significant failure or fault which means it cannot reasonably return to the pit lane without unnecessarily impeding another competitor or otherwise hindering the competition must leave the track as soon as it is safe to do so.

"At the sole discretion of the race director, should a car be deemed to have such significant and obvious damage to a structural component, or such significant failure or fault, the competitor may be instructed that the car must leave the track as soon as it is safe to do so."

The additional regulation change relates to the procedure around the formation lap, notably that drivers who start from the pit lane for any reason are now obliged to participate in the formation lap. This was not previously the case.

It reads: "When the green lights on the start gantry are illuminated, all cars on the grid able to do so should begin the formation lap with the pole position driver leading. When leaving the grid all drivers must respect the pit lane speed limit until they pass pole position.

"Once all cars on track have passed the end of the pit lane on the formation lap, the pit exit will be opened and all cars starting from the pit lane able to do so must leave the pit lane and join the formation lap.

"When such cars are permitted to leave the pit lane, they must do so in the order that was established under Article 43.3 unless another car is unduly delayed. Once all such cars have left the pit lane, the pit exit will be closed. All such cars must enter the pit lane at the end of the formation lap."