FIA INSIGHTS: HOW THE FIA ENSURES FAIRNESS IN FORMULA 1 THROUGH POST-RACE LEGALITY CHECKS

Following the disqualification of two cars from the United States Grand Prix, the spotlight has been on the FIA’s post-race scrutineering procedures. During the analysis carried out by the FIA’s technical experts, Plank wear on Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes and Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari was found to be more than the legal maximums, but no violations were discovered during the same inspections of two other vehicles.

Thus, what is the FIA’s process for verifying compliance, and is it consistent across all events? The explanation is that each weekend, a number of haphazard inspections of various car parts are conducted. This procedure, which has been in place for many years, is meant to guarantee adherence to the regulations because the teams are unaware, prior to the race, of the precise areas of the cars that may be checked beyond the routine inspections that are performed on each vehicle every weekend (like the fuel sample that is taken from every car after every Grand Prix). This implies that, from their vantage point, any component of the vehicle could be inspected at any moment, and the penalties for breaking

The FIA’s F1 technical team has a wealth of experience, as well as data from a plethora of sources and sensors that help inform decisions on what aspects of compliance might be checked. The vast majority of the time, all cars are found to be compliant. However, as happened in Austin, breaches of the rules are occasionally found and reported to the Stewards, who decide the appropriate action to take.

In the brief time that remains after a Grand Prix concludes before the cars must be returned to their teams for disassembly and transportation to the following race, a great deal of work goes into conducting these tests. It is impossible to check every aspect of every car in the limited time allotted, despite the extensive range of checks that are conducted. This is particularly true during consecutive race weekends when freight deadlines must also be taken into account.

This is why the process of randomly selecting a number of cars for post-race scrutineering across various aspects of the regulations is so valuable. Each team is aware that selection is possible and understand that the chance of any lack of compliance being uncovered is strong.

The scrutineering process isn’t limited to post-qualifying and post-race checks. The FIA also conducts additional examinations between qualifying and the race, and as well as the number of cars selected for post-race checks, at least one is selected for even more detailed analysis on internal components. These ‘deep dives’ are invasive and often require the disassembly of significant components that are not regularly checked due to the time it takes to carry out the procedure. This process involves comparing the physical components with CAD files the teams are required to supply to the FIA, as well as verification of team data that is constantly monitored by the FIA’s software engineers.

Like everything in Formula 1, the procedure has been improved and modified over time to become the most exacting and comprehensive way to keep an eye on the highly sophisticated current-generation cars. It serves as a significant deterrent and is realistically attainable within the confines of a Grand Prix weekend.