The FIA released two sets of Sporting Regulations on July 31st. The first set is still applicable for the remainder of the season, while the 2025 set underwent a major revision to include all the provisions required for the teams to test with mule cars at Pirelli’s request.
Aston Martin will be the first team to do this when Stoffel Vandoorne gets a firsthand look at the 2026 cars during a two-day test in Monza.
The first task assigned to the FIA was to close a significant loophole in the Sporting Regulations pertaining to penalties for Sprint races, which were made public at the Chinese Grand Prix this year. Fernando Alonso was having trouble with tire degradation at the conclusion of the Shanghai Sprint race, and he was attempting to avoid falling too far down the order.
The Aston Martin driver tried to retake the lead after being overtaken by fellow Spaniard Carlos Sainz with a strong move, but he crashed with the Ferrari driver and had to retire with damage a few laps later.
Fernando Alonso was given a five-second penalty for being deemed largely at fault for the crash, but since he had already retired, he was never able to serve it. The rules pertaining to penalties given out during sprint races have now been modified by the FIA. The following race (the main race of that Grand Prix) may be used to make up for a penalty that was not given during the Sprint race, according to Article 54.3.d.
During the Chinese Grand Prix, Sainz was also embroiled in another more contentious incident during qualifying. The Race Director raised the red flag when the Ferrari driver spun during qualifying and struck the inside wall on the main straight. The driver remained motionless for a considerable amount of time. But Sainz was able to go back on track, reaching Q3 and qualifying in P7. This prompted Aston Martin to object, as the British team thought the rules had not been appropriately enforced.
“Any driver whose car stops on the track in an area other than the pit lane during the qualifying session or the Sprint qualifying session and who receives physical assistance will not be allowed to get back on track,” the FIA has now clarified in an amendment to that section of the rules. There is now no question that what Sainz and Ferrari did in Shanghai was fully compliant with the law because there is no reference of being accountable for a session disruption.
In order to better prepare for the rule change that will take effect in 2026, the FIA lastly introduced Article 10.10 to the regulations, which governs testing with modified cars and mules. During these testing sessions, teams will be permitted to employ vehicles from the previous four seasons, which should help Pirelli optimize its tire lineup under the new rules. The Italian company has, however, already issued a warning, stating that it appears extremely impossible to produce these mules, especially in light of the single-seaters’ narrower width of 1.80 meters as opposed to 2 meters.
