Section 4: Players & Officials
4.1 Competitors (Constructors)
A "Competitor" in Formula 1 is the Constructor: the organisation that designs and builds the car. To compete in the World Championship, a Constructor must:
- Hold a valid FIA Competitors Licence (Super Licence category — Competitor)
- Be a signatory to the Concorde Agreement (the commercial agreement between the FIA, Formula One Group, and participating teams)
- Register with the FIA no later than the deadline specified for the season (Article 8.2)
- Enter a minimum of one and a maximum of two cars per event (Article 8.3)
For the 2026 Championship, the FIA F1 Regulations' race-weekend procedures (Sporting Regulations, Article B2.4.2) are expressly based on a grid of twenty-two (22) F1 Cars, reflecting the admission of an eleventh constructor, Cadillac F1 Team, approved by the FIA World Motor Sport Council to join the grid from 2026 — the first wholly new entrant since Haas in 2016. The Article also sets out fallback qualifying elimination procedures should fewer or more cars be eligible at a given Competition (e.g., five cars eliminated per qualifying segment where twenty cars are eligible).
4.2 Drivers — Sporting Regulations, Article B1.7 and Appendix L (FIA Super Licence)
All drivers competing in a World Championship event must hold a valid FIA Super Licence, the highest class of racing licence issued by the FIA. To be eligible for a Super Licence, a driver must:
- Hold a valid national driving licence
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Have accumulated a minimum of 40 Super Licence points over three consecutive seasons in eligible lower formulae (per the FIA Super Licence points eligibility table, updated annually)
- Have completed a minimum of 300 km in a current or recent-specification Formula 1 car during an official FIA test session or Friday practice session
- Be deemed medically fit to compete by the FIA Medical Delegate
Under Article B1.7.1, each Competitor may use a maximum of four (4) drivers in Races during a Championship, and any new driver may score points in the Championship. A change of driver requires the consent of the stewards and, per Article B1.7.2, must generally be made before the start of the (sprint) qualifying session for the driver concerned. Additionally, under Article B1.7.3c, during two (2) Competitions of the Championship each Competitor must run, for each of its entered F1 Cars, a driver who has not participated in more than two (2) Championship Races in their career — the FIA must be informed in writing seven (7) days before the relevant Competition.
4.3 Team Personnel
All team personnel present in the pit lane, garages, or on the grid during sessions must hold appropriate FIA or ASN accreditation. The Sporting Regulations define categories of permitted personnel:
- Team Manager: the designated representative of the Competitor who communicates with the Clerk of the Course and is responsible for team compliance
- Chief Mechanic and mechanics: responsible for car preparation and pit stop execution
- Engineers: may communicate with the driver via radio (subject to restrictions on driver coaching)
4.4 Race Director — Sporting Regulations, Article B1.3
The Race Director is appointed by the FIA and, per Article B1.3.3, has overriding authority (subject to the Clerk of the Course acting only with their express agreement) over the control of free practice, qualifying, sprint qualifying, sprint, and Race sessions, the stopping of any F1 Car, the stopping or suspension of a session, the starting procedure, and the use of the Safety Car. The Race Director's duties include:
- Issuing Event Notes to all Competitors before each event, detailing specific circuit procedures, track limit enforcement corners, and Safety Car delta times
- Controlling the deployment and withdrawal of the Safety Car and Virtual Safety Car
- Deciding whether conditions are suitable to start a session, suspend a session, or permit the race to run in wet-weather conditions
The Race Director must be in radio contact with the Clerk of the Course and the chairman of the Stewards at all times when F1 Cars are permitted to run on the track (Article B1.3.6).
4.5 Stewards — Sporting Regulations, Article B1.3
A panel of a minimum of three and a maximum of four stewards (one appointed chair), all holders of an FIA Super Licence, is nominated for each event by the FIA and the relevant ASN (Article B1.3.1–B1.3.2). Stewards have the authority to:
- Investigate any Incident referred to them by the Race Director, or noted by themselves (Article B1.9.1–B1.9.2)
- Impose penalties including time penalties, grid-position drops, drive-through and stop-and-go penalties, reprimands, and disqualification (Article B1.9.5)
- Accept or reject protests lodged by Competitors
Steward decisions are issued as numbered Decisions (e.g., "Stewards' Decision No. 7") and are published via the FIA's official messaging system (OMS). Under Article B1.9.7, certain categories of steward decision — including most Incident penalties under Article B1.9.5, grid drops under Article B8.2, and penalties under Article B1.9.4 — may not be appealed.
4.6 FIA Technical Delegate and Scrutineers
The FIA Technical Delegate nominated by the FIA is responsible for scrutineering and may carry out, or have carried out by scrutineers, any checks to verify the compliance of the F1 Cars entered in the Competition at any time until the end of the Competition, without prior request from the stewards or Clerk of the Course; the Technical Delegate has full authority over the national scrutineers (Article B1.2.3). All cars must pass scrutineering before they are permitted to participate in any session.