FIA make critical rule change that could open door for early Kimi Antonelli F1 arrival
Mercedes junior driver Kimi Antonelli is hot favourite to step up to a senior seat next season.
The FIA has made tweaks to the rulebook which could allow Kimi Antonelli an earlier-than-expected F1 debut if the opportunity arises.
The rules governing when a driver can be granted an F1 super licence have been tweaked by the FIA, opening the door for Kimi Antonelli – as a leading contender – to make his debut in F1 before his 18th birthday.
FIA reveal F1 super licence age limits tweak
Recently, it emerged that Mercedes F1 hopeful Kimi Antonelli, who is currently racing in his maiden campaign in Formula 2, had had a super licence dispensation request made on his behalf.
The request, lodged with the FIA, was not made by Mercedes. The most likely team to have made this request is Williams, with whom Antonelli has been linked as a possible replacement for the struggling Logan Sargeant.
Antonelli meets the required 40 points that are accumulated through championship victories and positions in the standings of categories participated in, but didn’t meet the age limit requirement of 18 years old.
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He also is not in possession of a valid driving licence for road use, as the regulations demand.
With Antonelli turning 18 in August 2024, the dispensation request would therefore have been made with an eye to getting the Italian youngster into an F1 seat prior to August – otherwise, the dispensation request would not have been required.
However, at this week’s meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council, changes have been made to the International Sporting Code (ISC) which negate the need for a special dispensation on Antonelli’s part.
Appendix L of the ISC, which outlines the rules for F1 super licences, has been changed to include the following in Article 13.1.2. While the rule remains that a driver must be 18 years old at the time of their first F1 competition, a caveat has been introduced.
“At the sole discretion of the FIA, a driver judged to have recently and consistently demonstrated outstanding ability and maturity in single-seater formula car competition may be granted a Super Licence at the age of 17 years old,” reads the addendum.
This would open the door for Antonelli, or any other driver, to be granted a super licence at 17 years old, provided this discretion is granted – teams can make the request based on the regulation, rather than needing to lodge a special dispensation request.
The same wording has been introduced on the rules for a Free Practice only F1 super licence, which also had an age limit of 18 years old.
A rule that has been removed is the requirement for an F1 super licence applicant to be in possession of a valid full road licence.
PlanetF1.com approached the FIA for comment on why the caveat has been introduced, with a spokesperson confirming the changes to the ISC are now in place.
