The FIA’s superlicence guidelines alteration to permit sure worthy 17-year-olds to enter Components 1 is unrelated to Mercedes junior Andrea Kimi Antonelli and may very well profit Pink Bull, Motorsport.com understands.
Earlier this month, the governing physique up to date Appendix L of its Worldwide Sporting Code with a clause that states particular dispensation to acquire a superlicence could also be granted to sure 17-year-old drivers.
The FIA mentioned this alteration meant at its “sole discretion” such drivers may race in F1 earlier than reaching the 18-year-old threshold established within the superlicence guidelines after Max Verstappen‘s rise to the highest stage of single seaters aged 17 in 2015.
The transfer was extensively interpreted as a response to a want from Mercedes for Antonelli – who is anticipated to race for the Silver Arrows squad in 2025 – to make his F1 debut in 2024, earlier than he turns 18 in August and robotically qualifies for a superlicence underneath the present guidelines.
The pondering behind such a transfer could be for Antonelli to realize preliminary F1 expertise at a workforce additional again on the grid, with Mercedes buyer squad Williams understood to have requested an exemption be made for Antonelli so he may certainly again his F1 bow with the blue workforce earlier than he turned 18 – presumably across the Imola spherical.
However what was complicated in regards to the FIA altering the rule was that Mercedes was understood to have cooled on the above plan and {that a} miscommunication between workforce boss Toto Wolff and his Williams counterpart, James Vowles, had resulted within the request for an Antonelli exemption round Might’s Miami race.
Nevertheless, it has now emerged that whereas the set off for the rule change was the preliminary exemption request, the FIA determined the age ingredient of the superlicence laws wanted a deeper evaluation in any case, together with the F1 groups.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli drives Mercedes W12
After discussing the matter within the common assembly of F1 workforce managers, and with help for the change understood to be forthcoming from different groups, Motorsport.com sources recommend that after FIA officers had determined to implement the ISC Appendix L replace, it took time because the Miami race to cross via the FIA’s governance construction.
This meant the change being handed from the FIA’s Tremendous Licence Working group to its Security Committee, earlier than approval to alter the rule was granted by the World Motor Sport Council.
An FIA assertion on the matter supplied to Motorsport.com learn: “On the sole discretion of the FIA, a driver judged to have just lately and constantly demonstrated excellent skill and maturity in single-seater method automobile competitors could also be granted a Tremendous Licence on the age of 17 years outdated.
“The modification adopted due course of and was ratified by Security Fee and WMSC.”
The explanation why this example may truly profit Pink Bull is that its junior driver Arvid Lindblad – presently racing in Components 3 – turns 17 in August.
The change to ISC Appendix L due to this fact means he might be granted a superlicence to participate in a collection of FP1 outings from that time (with Antonelli theoretically capable of conduct such runs for Mercedes from now).
This could increase Pink Bull as Lindblad is considered rated in direction of the highest of its junior programme by its motorsport advisor Helmut Marko.
Nevertheless, any likelihood of Lindblad gaining a superlicence even for FP1 periods would nonetheless require FIA approval underneath the discretionary ingredient of the ISC change.
