The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association has requested a meeting with the FIA in Qatar to discuss how the current racing guidelines should be changed to avoid questionable penalties like the one given to Oscar Piastri at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Carlos Sainz has been particularly outspoken about decisions he considers incorrect, while a proposal for permanent stewards is also on the table.
The penalty handed to Oscar Piastri in Brazil is expected to influence future FIA guidelines. The panel of Stewards at Interlagos reviewed the lap-six collision between the McLaren driver and the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, judged Piastri responsible and issued a ten-second penalty, which Oscar served before his pit stop. The stewards in Brazil applied the interpretations suggested by the FIA’s racing guidelines.
Immediately after the race, several drivers — including Charles Leclerc, who was involved in the incident — publicly defended Oscar Piastri, arguing that the penalty was not justified based on how the collision unfolded. The topic remained central again in Las Vegas. Carlos Sainz confirmed that, during an already scheduled meeting with the FIA on the Qatar Grand Prix weekend, the GPDA will request an urgent revision of the guidelines.
“We need to sit down and fix what has now become a real problem,” Carlos said. “As far as I’m concerned, the penalty given to Oscar in Brazil is unacceptable. I think anyone who has ever watched a race knows that Oscar was not at fault. Anyone who has driven a racing car knows he couldn’t have done anything to avoid the contact. There are decisions I simply don’t understand, like my penalty at Zandvoort or Ollie’s (Bearman) at Monza, and in Brazil there were several incidents judged in a way that, to me, should not belong in this sport.”
Sainz, who also serves as a GPDA director, is not alone — many drivers consider the Brazil incident a clear racing incident. “If the other drivers involved confirm it wasn’t my fault… I think that says enough,” Oscar Piastri commented, referring to the remarks made by Leclerc and Antonelli.
Kimi Antonelli himself noted that the current rules, written as Racing Guidelines, technically support the stewards’ decision. Lewis Hamilton underlined this aspect as well. However, the logic behind the rulebook does not fully align with how the FIA intends its guidance to be interpreted.
One of the main issues the GPDA wants clarified is the exact role of the FIA guidelines — whether they should remain discretionary tools for stewards or whether their application must be rigid and leave little room for interpretation. There is also a push to revise the content of the guidelines themselves.
“I’m not sure what the perfect solution is,” Carlos Sainz explained. “I think we’ll need to discuss it all together. Personally, after what we saw in Brazil, something is clearly not working the right way. I don’t think Oscar deserved a penalty.”
Many drivers argue that locking up under braking and making contact does not automatically mean a driver has lost control of the car. According to Carlos Sainz, in some cases the lock-up is triggered by another driver’s movement.
“We’ve seen cases where a driver had one or two wheels locked but that doesn’t mean he would have necessarily missed the apex. On the contrary, if they hadn’t braked firmly, the contact would have been even harder. I think it’s a rule that needs to be reviewed.”
The meeting in Qatar will also include discussion of a proposal to introduce a ‘permanent’ panel of stewards, removing the current rotation system. Several drivers believe this would create historical consistency in judging incidents and prevent different interpretations of similar or identical situations.
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