F1 Mexican Grand Prix: FIA announces MANDATORY rule for all 10 teams

The FIA ​​​​has announced a mandatory rule that will apply to all ten Formula 1 teams at the Mexican Grand Prix.

After a dramatic race in the United States last time, F1 heads to Mexico City this weekend round 20 of the 2024 season.

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Friday’s action saw plenty of drama, with several red flags and crashes during both free practices at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, where the teams’ preparations ahead of qualifying on Saturday are likely to have been affected by the delays.

Now, prior to that session – that will decide who starts at the front of Sunday’s Grand Prix – the FIA ​​​​has announced a mandatory rule that all teams and drivers must adhere to when preparing to set their lap times.

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FIA announces mandatory Mexican GP rule

In an official document released during this weekend’s action, the FIA ​​confirmed that all cars must ensure they do not drive unnecessarily slowly during or after qualifying, including on Sunday during pre-race reconnaissance laps.

To enforce this, the sport’s governing body has introduced a mandatory lap time where all drivers must ensure that each lap they complete is no longer than 1:36:00.

A note to all teams from FIA F1 race director Niels Wittich read: “To ensure that cars do not drive unnecessarily slow on laps during and after the end of qualifying or during reconnaissance laps when the pit exit is opened for the race, drivers should under the 1:36:0 remain between the safety car lines indicated on the pit lane drawing.”

This should still give the drivers plenty of time to prepare for their hot laps, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz setting the fastest time in FP2 on Friday with a 1:17.699.

Any drivers who do not adhere to the above lap time may be fined by the FIA.

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