F1 has never been short on controversy, especially when it comes to stewarding decisions, as penalties, investigations, and post-race verdicts have often sparked louder conversations than the action on track, but from 2026, the FIA wants to tidy up that part of the sport and make sure fewer questions are left hanging.
The FIA’s Role and Stewarding in F1
The governing body has confirmed a series of updates to its International Sporting Code (ISC) that will give stewards more authority and flexibility, which will not only apply to F1 but also to F2, F3, and other FIA world championships. The aim is to improve how incidents are reviewed and speed up decisions that have frustrated teams in the past.
For a sport that lives under constant scrutiny from teams and fans, the changes signal a clear message that the FIA wants greater control over the process of how decisions are made in the sport.
FIA is the rule maker and rule enforcer of F1, and while Formula One Management handles the commercial side of the sport, the governing body is responsible for safety, sporting fairness, and regulatory consistency across all FIA championships.
Stewards are appointed by the FIA and operate during race weekends to judge incidents, and they work under tight time pressure and with limited information, which can lead to decisions that feel rushed, as over the years, teams and drivers have repeatedly asked for more consistency and transparency.
The FIA has accepted that stewarding must evolve, and with racing situations becoming more complex, the old system was starting to disrupt things more than helping it. The 2026 changes are designed to give stewards better tools rather than simply asking them to work faster.
One of the biggest updates concerns how decisions can be reviewed after a race, as until now, the only real path was through a right of review request submitted by a team and required relevant evidence to be filed within 96 hours of the race finishing.
That system rarely worked, as most requests were rejected, which often left teams feeling stuck with a verdict they strongly disagreed with. Williams managed to successfully challenge a penalty given to Carlos Sainz after the Dutch Grand Prix, but cases like that were the exception.
From 2026, stewards themselves can reopen a case, and if they discover significant new information that was not available at the time of the original ruling, they can trigger a new hearing on their own initiative, which is a powerful shift that removes some pressure from teams and places more responsibility directly on the officials overseeing the race.
Decisions No Longer Tied to F1 Race Weekends
Another important change addresses timing, as in the past, many stewarding matters had to wait until the next race weekend because officials were only formally in session during events. That could lead to awkward delays, especially during the summer shutdown or winter break.
From 2026, the FIA can appoint an ‘out of competition’ stewards panel, which will include at least five experienced officials who can meet remotely via video conference, and if a case is too complex, an in-person hearing is still possible if all parties agree to cover the costs.
This allows time-sensitive issues to be resolved quickly, even when no race is taking place, and removes unnecessary waiting periods. Beyond the rule changes, the FIA has also confirmed that extra funding secured through the new Concorde Agreement will be used to further improve stewarding systems and resources.
These updates will probably not solve every issue, but they represent a clear effort by the FIA to modernize how F1 is governed and to give stewards the authority they need to do their job properly.
