FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis has revealed some behind-the-scenes insight into the drivers’ stance expressed during Monday’s crucial meeting.
On April 20, the governing body officially confirmed a series of measures to be introduced with immediate effect, aimed at addressing issues that emerged in the opening three races across qualifying, the race itself and race starts.
In a video published on the FIA’s YouTube channel, Tombazis revealed that the drivers presented a largely unified position, pushing for changes to qualifying to allow them to enjoy the driving more and push harder, while also calling for certain safety concerns to be addressed, with their input proving particularly important in the discussions.
“The position of the drivers was quite uniform amongst drivers. They were all pushing for some changes in qualifying in order to, let’s say, enjoy more the driving, push more, but also they were pushing for us to address certain safety concerns they had. So they were quite united and their input in this was very important.”
He then added: “I think it’s important to note that whether we are talking about drivers or teams or PU manufacturers, F1 is also an extremely competitive sport. People are fighting each other on the track all the time and the stakes are very high.
“It’s not easy to find consensus amongst everybody. And it is the role of the FIA to try to find the best compromises, which is what we’ve been working very hard to do.”
Make GPblog your preferred source on Google and see our content first in Google Discover and Google News.
F1 boss speaks out after FIA announce new tweaks ahead of Miami GP
Williams team principal James Vowles was the first team boss to weigh in on the changes set to be introduced to the 2026 regulations from the Miami Grand Prix onwards.
He described the measures as sensible, praising the work done by the teams, the FIA and Formula 1 in reaching an agreement in recent weeks.
While acknowledging that the racing has already been strong this season, he stressed the importance of continuing to look for improvements and said he is keen to see how the changes will play out from Miami onwards.
Follow GPblog on social media to stay updated on all Formula 1 news: Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Stay up to date with the latest Formula 1 news? Follow GPblog.com on WhatsApp Channels andreceive the most important updates first.
