From 2025, the FIA will expand its stewarding panel from three officials to four at selected events.
It’s understood the Australian GP will be the first of half-a-dozen ‘high workload’ events identified by the sport’s governing body.
The change was revealed courtesy of the most recent version of F1’s sporting regulations.
Specifically, Article 15.1 relating to officials was revised to state that at each event, there will be “a minimum of three (3) and a maximum of four (4) stewards, one of whom will be appointed Chair.”
The change comes with a view to increasing capacity at key events and will be used to review and collate information before any incident is considered further.
Stewarding has been a hot topic in F1 with consistent calls for the job to be made a permanent role.
Currently, the task is performed essentially by volunteers selected from a pool available to the FIA.
That has led to inconsistencies and see the FIA come under fire.
In Singapore last year Max Verstappen received a community service penalty for swearing in an FIA press conference while at the Mexico City Grand Prix Charles Leclerc was handed a fine.
The controversial addition of Appendix B to the International Sporting Code has been designed to address one element of inconsistency by offering guidelines for key articles within the regulations.
However, some in the paddock still desire to introduce permanent stewards to further professionalise the sport, including McLaren boss Zak Brown.
“To have part-time, unpaid stewards in a multi-billion-dollar sport where everything is on the line to make the right call…It is a technical job and when you get it right, no one says ‘great job’. But I don’t think we are set up for success by not having full-time stewards,” Brown said recently.
“The individuals are fine but the rulebook is too restrictive.
“I’d like us to take a step back, loosen it up. Have full-time stewards who can make more of a subjective decision of whether that was right or wrong.
“I’m happy if McLaren and all the racing teams contribute. It’s so important for the sport.
“It can’t be that expensive if everybody contributes. It’s not going to break the bank.
“What I don’t know is what’s the relationship contractually between the FIA and Formula 1 as far as what’s the level of expectations on stewarding.
“But at the end of the day, the agreement says part-time stewarding is not paid.
“In any business, if you want something different, it’s called a change order and if you want to change something, you have to pay for it.
“So if we have to pay for it, in the big scheme of things I do not think it will be a significant amount.”
Formula 1 has previously employed permanent stewards though that led to calls of bias.
The expanded stewarding panel will be used in Australia, China, Canada, Singapore, Mexico City, and Sao Paulo.
Melbourne hosts the season-opener with the Australian GP scheduled to take place on March 13-16.
