FIA Make Last-Minute Rule Change Ahead of Australian Grand Prix

Rules have become stricter for the teams ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.

The FIA has made a last-minute rule change ahead of the Australian Grand Prix. 

It has been a tradition for a long time during the history of F1 that team staff will wave their successful cars home at the end of grand prix races whilst climbing up the pitwall fencing. However, rules surrounding this have now been tightened and teams are "forbidden" from celebrating in this way.

The move follows the celebrations from Red Bull and Aston Martin the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix a couple of weeks ago. F1 race director Niels Wittich’s pre-weekend event safety notes forbids climbing on pitwall debris fence at any time, which is part of Appendix H, Article 2.3.2 of the FIA’s International Sporting Code. 

It is now forbidden for personnel to climb on pitwall debris fences at any time, and any team found to be in breach of this ban will be reported to the stewards. Although this is not a new rule, the stricter interpretation of Appendix H, Article 2.3.2 means that any team members spotted breaching the regulations will face potential punishment. 

The stricter rules state:

“It is forbidden for personnel to climb on pitwall debris fences at any time. Any action by a team breaching this ban will be reported to the stewards.”

The latest rule-change will be enforced at this weekends Australian Grand Prix. Melbourne's pit straight is lined with thick glass panels instead of grated metal fencing. However, team members will still not be allowed to climb this. 

Despite the enforcement of Appendix H, Article 2.3.2, team members will still be allowed to lean out of the larger gaps in all pitwall protection systems at the end of races, required to show pitboards to drivers, so long as they remain safe and do not go to extreme lengths.

Although this marks the end of a long-standing tradition in F1, the safety of all personnel and drivers is of the utmost importance. It is currently unclear what the repercussions will be for the teams should they break the rule.