Brown urges FIA clarity on racing rules and full-time stewards

Zak Brown stresses the need for clearer FIA regulations and full-time stewards to minimize interpretation and improve decision-making.

Zak Brown believes the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations need clearer wording to avoid gray areas on track. The McLaren F1 CEO notes that interpretation plays too big a role, and a driver like Max Verstappen has mastered how to navigate the restrictions.

“I think the regulations are too restrictive,” Brown told the James Allen on F1 podcast. “We know who is first at the apex, but we haven’t thought through what happens if you can’t make the corner. I think Max has done a great job of fully understanding what the rules say.”

“I’d like us to take a step back, loosen the rules, have full-time stewards—people with racing experience—who can make slightly more subjective calls to decide what’s right or wrong. And there will always be times when they get it wrong.”

“But I think that will come with better competition. Take the first corner in Austin, with the apex as it is, and you start having that debate. I think if we have too many rules, no one is really sure what the rules are. So, we need to go back to what worked in the old days.”

The American reiterated his call for greater professionalization of race stewards in Formula 1: “I recently said the most important thing we need to address is the approach to the stewarding system.”

“We are in a sport worth billions of dollars, and everything was at stake to make the right decision. I wouldn’t want to be a referee in any sport. You know, whether it’s football or motorsport, it’s a thankless job.”

“If you get it right, no one says, ‘Good job.’ If you get it wrong, the whole stadium boos you. Everyone boos you. But I don’t think we are set up for success if we don’t have full-time stewards.”