F1 stars face major punishment as strict FIA deadline issued at Austrian Grand Prix

The stars of the 2025 F1 grid will have to adhere to strict timing rules set by the FIA this weekend in Spielberg ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix.

This weekend's race marks the 11th round of the season, and heading into Sunday's main event, McLaren and Ferrari have all to play for.

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The papaya F1 outfit and the Scuderia have both drivers in the top four following Saturday's Qualifying, but it is British star Lando Norris who starts on pole position, hoping for a comeback after his first DNF of the year last time out in Canada.

Regardless of whether they are leading the race like Norris or starting from the back of the pack like Carlos Sainz, all 20 drivers on the grid are at risk of facing punishment from the FIA in Austria if they are late to the pre-race procedure.

Every grand prix weekend, F1's governing body requires all drivers to be present and on time for the pre-race activities, including the national anthem, with a strict set of rules in place.

Ahead of lights out for the Austrian Grand Prix at 3pm local time today (CEST), the drivers must be in position for the national anthem at 14:42 and for the duration of the performance, remain attired only in their race suits.

According to an official statement from the FIA, the national anthem will then begin at 14:44.

What happens if an F1 driver is late?

Failure to comply with these demands will result in a visit to the stewards at best and a punishment at worst for any driver who is late to the national anthem procedure.

At the Japanese GP earlier this year, Williams star Sainz was late to the national anthem and summoned to the stewards as a result.

Despite revealing that the reason for his brief absence was as a result of experiencing a medical issue, Sainz was still fined €20,000 by the stewards for his delayed arrival to the national anthem.

Although €10,000 of that amount is set to be suspended should the 30-year-old not breach the same FIA rule within a 12-month period, he did not approve of the ruling and was openly critical of F1's governing body at the time given he was only five seconds late.

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