Formula 1’s long-running standoff over the sport’s hated driving-standards guidelines entered a new phase in Qatar, with the FIA issuing a formal statement after a key GPDA meeting - but confirming no changes will be made for Qatar or Abu Dhabi.
GPDA directors George Russell and Carlos Sainz have led the charge against the so-called Driving Standards Guidelines (DSGs), arguing they’ve turned wheel-to-wheel racing into a bureaucratic box-ticking exercise.
Russell didn’t mince words: "A global sport like Formula 1, which generates billions in revenue, must be able to pay permanent stewards."
Sainz was even blunter before the meeting: "There’s been quite a lot of division between drivers, FIA and stewards. A lot of confusion.
"The guidelines have created more problems than solutions. There’s been barely any room for racing incidents this year - everything is black or white."
He added that overtakes were being judged by arbitrary metrics -
"a tyre in front or behind a mirror" - instead of racing intuition.
Following Thursday’s closed-door review, the FIA thanked drivers for a "frank" exchange but confirmed the final two rounds of 2025 will run under the existing interpretation.
The governing body defended the DSGs as a "living document" introduced at the drivers’ request, and insisted that data shows improved consistency.
The statement also quietly acknowledged the drivers’ biggest demand - that experienced ex-drivers must sit permanently on steward panels.
Another talking point was a preference for post-race hearings when stewards lack full data.
But the key line from the statement was: "No changes will be made for the final two Grands Prix of the 2025 season."