The FIA Finally Admits What Karting Drivers Always Knew

The outside line is weak or for high risk moves that rarely pay off

Welcome to a paid subscriber episode, and remember I always add to the audio version compared to written so its worth a listen!

Secret F1 overtaking rules or guidelines actually make sense, no more extra rights for the outside.

We naturally know you can’t push people off on the outside unless they put themselves in a dumb position where it becomes inevitable, by physics!

The Overtaking Rules F1 Tried To Hide

When I realised the FIA overtaking guidelines were not published and were in fact kept secret, I could not believe it.

Not that I have ever read such guidelines because obviously the rules of the jungle actually operate, and the writing of overtaking rules is just a formality.

I think almost all of us instinctively know what constitutes fair driving and what deserves a penalty. Almost always unfair penalties or unfair lack of penalties are down to a mistake by the observers, or unclear video.

I don't think I've ever had to refer to a rulebook when it comes to overtaking rules. One of the ways karting is vastly superior to F1 is that the overtaking rules look after themselves mostly - physics tends to make the decisions for us.

Weird! The Secret Rules Actually Make More Sense??

It's definitely outrageous that the basic rules of racing engagement aren't published. How all the teams and drivers are happy to collude against their audience, and drivers who are meant to look up to them, is to me, enough to quit watching F1 altogether.

It's a very basic sign of contempt, and I don't think they deserve any forgiveness for that.

However…

It seems, according to YouTube channel The Race, who have read the new guidelines, at least the officials have got more of a grip on reality than previously.

The Outside Line Finally Gets What It Deserves

Now they acknowledge that if you are on the outside, either making a move or being overtaken, you have the power to protect yourself by lifting and slotting in behind the driver on the inside.

No longer are you protected by rules that previously tried to supersede the basic understanding held by racing drivers.

If you are on the outside, you are taking a big risk. If you can hang on when being passed, or making a move then good for you. You took a big risk and should be congratulated.

But if you get forced wide and bin it, it's on you.

So long as the driver passing on the inside has done enough of the pass fairly by the time they get to the apex, they can run you wide on the exit and do not have to leave you room.

Hopefully that means no more horrifically undignified 'they didn't leave me room' whining on the radio is over.

You got done, slot in behind and go into damage limitation.

If you want to pass on the outside, if you want the right to not be run wide, you better be ahead of the car on the outside at the apex. Then fair enough, they've been done.

Now, these rules had to be written down for F1 drivers, because it's actually an inferior form of racing to karting. They need magic buttons to overtake for example, so overtaking is extremely weird there.

But since the FIA seek to spread the driving guidelines across categories, at least for now they make some sense and reasonably match what happens in the proper racing category. i.e. karting.

Outside Moves: Strength Or Softness, No Middle Ground