Mercedes star George Russell backs new penalty guidelines as FIA takes action ahead of Austrian GP

Mercedes star and GPDA director George Russell has backed the FIA’s publication of the stewards' penalty guidelines ahead of this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix.

In an attempt to make the operations of the FIA more transparent, president Mohammed Ben Sulayem announced ahead of the race at the Red Bull Ring that the two documents used to assist the stewards' decision-making process in F1 will be made available to the public.

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The penalty and driving standards guidelines are not new, rather the framework the stewards have used for over a decade to make decisions regarding on track incidents.

Furthermore, these documents are exclusively guidelines, not regulations, and have been published to help competitors, fans and the media understand how stewards make a decision, rather than a black-and-white set of rules.

Individual stewards can still make case-by-case judgements based on the regulations, and the publication of these guidelines has been met with praise from Mercedes star George Russell, as the FIA hope they encourage "fair and consistent decision making."

Following the news that the guidelines would be made public, Russell said: "Greater transparency within the governance of our sport is an important issue and this is a useful step in that direction."

"Hopefully it will be beneficial for the sport to give the media and fans a clearer understanding of the rules of engagement when we're racing on track, and to help them understand how the stewards reach their decisions."

What do the FIA’s guidelines include?

The published penalty guidelines help stewards determine the punishment for a range of incidents from collisions between drivers to safety car infringements.

Russell’s incident with Max Verstappen at the Spanish GP split opinion after the champion was given a 10-second time penalty and three penalty points, with the likes of Nico Rosberg calling for an instant disqualification.

The publication of the guidelines will hopefully allow viewers to understand how the stewards came to this conclusion, alongside other incidents that have caused controversy in previous years and any similar ones moving forward.

Alongside penalty guidelines, the driving standards have also been shared, which were developed by drivers and teams to provide clarity on racing conduct, for example impeding, moving under braking and track limits.

As the FIA announced their decision to publish the stewards' guidelines on Thursday, June 25, President Ben Sulayem said: "FIA Stewards perform a hugely complex task, not just in Formula 1 but across all of our championships, and they do this voluntarily, with great passion and commitment. That dedication is all too often met with extreme and wholly unwarranted criticism. To demonstrate the rigour with which they pursue their role, we are today publishing the Penalty and Driving Standards Guidelines that assist them with their decisions.

"This will give fans and members of the media a much deeper and more accurate insight into how decisions are made in Formula 1. The Penalty Guidelines have been a core tool for almost a decade while the Driving Standards Guidelines introduced in 2022 and constantly updated have brought the most important voices, those of the drivers, to the table to create a genuine reference for certain racing situations."

READ MORE: Mercedes edge towards Max Verstappen decision after George Russell verdict

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