Sporting

25 changes, oldest first.

1950 introduced

World Drivers' Championship established

The FIA created a drivers' championship over seven races: six European Grands Prix and the Indianapolis 500. Source

1958 introduced

International Cup for F1 Manufacturers (constructors' championship)

A championship for constructors began, scoring only the best-placed car of each make in each race. Indianapolis did not count towards it. Source

1968 introduced

Commercial sponsorship liveries allowed

National racing colours were no longer required and cars could carry sponsor liveries; Lotus ran Gold Leaf colours from Monaco. Source

1979 introduced

Pre-qualifying for oversubscribed entries

With more than 26 cars entered, a Friday-morning pre-qualifying session decided who could take part in qualifying. Source

1980 changed

FISA–FOCA war

Disputes over technical rules and money between the governing body and the teams' association led to boycotts and the non-championship 1981 South African race, settled by the Concorde Agreement. Source

1981 introduced

First Concorde Agreement

The agreement between FISA and the teams (FOCA) settled the governance dispute of 1980–81 and set out commercial and rule-making arrangements. Source

1982 introduced

Super licence conditions and the drivers' strike

New licence terms tying drivers to teams prompted a strike at Kyalami; the terms were withdrawn. Source

1989 introduced

Pre-qualifying for 39 entries

With 20 teams and 39 cars, a one-hour Friday pre-qualifying session cut the field to 30 for qualifying and 26 for the race. Source

1994 introduced

Stop-and-go penalties and race bans

The stewards gained ten-second stop-and-go penalties; Schumacher received a two-race ban for ignoring a black flag at Silverstone. Source

1997 introduced

Drive-through penalty

A drive-through penalty (pit lane at the speed limit, no stop) joined the stop-and-go penalty. Source

1997 changed

Championship exclusion for deliberate collision

Schumacher was excluded from the 1997 standings after turning in on Villeneuve at Jerez. Source

2003 banned

Team orders banned

After Austria 2002, team orders that interfered with a race result were banned. The ban was lifted for 2011. Source

2007 changed

Constructors' exclusion for the McLaren espionage case

McLaren were excluded from the 2007 constructors' championship and fined 100 million dollars over possession of Ferrari documents. Source

2010 introduced

Factory curfew and personnel limits

Overnight curfews for team personnel at the circuit were introduced. Source

2011 changed

Team orders allowed again

The 2002 ban on team orders was removed from the sporting regulations. Source

2012 introduced

Grid penalties for extra gearboxes and engines beyond the allocation

Exceeding the season allocation of engines or changing a gearbox early meant a grid drop. Source

2014 introduced

Penalty points on the super licence

Drivers accumulating twelve penalty points in twelve months receive a one-race ban. Source

2014 introduced

Permanent driver numbers

Drivers chose a career number between 2 and 99; the champion may use 1. Source

2015 introduced

Standing restarts proposed and dropped

Standing restarts after safety-car periods were written into the 2015 rules and removed before the season. Source

2018 introduced

Grid penalties above 15 places send a driver to the back

Power-unit penalties were simplified so that more than 15 places means starting last. Source

2019 introduced

Fastest-lap point requires a top-ten finish

The bonus point could not be taken by a driver outside the points. Source

2023 introduced

Cost-cap breach penalties applied

Red Bull's 2021 minor overspend brought a fine and a 10% cut in aerodynamic testing time, the first cost-cap sanction. Source

2024 changed

Track-limits: black-and-white flag and automatic detection

Track-limits breaches were policed with sensors and a warning-flag system before time penalties. Source

2025 introduced

Rookie free-practice sessions doubled

Each car had to run a young driver in first practice at least twice in the season. Source

2026 introduced

Eleventh team joins

Cadillac entered as the eleventh constructor, and Audi took over the Sauber entry. Source