DUBAI: The Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, the global governing body for motor sport and the federation for mobility organizations worldwide, has announced that it is to make major improvements to Appendix B of its International Sporting Code following an extensive review commissioned by FIA’s President Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

The latest version of Appendix B of the ISC was introduced in January 2025, aligning the FIA with other global sporting organizations such as FIFA, the National Football League, and World Rugby, all of which have strong codes of conduct to protect the integrity of their respective sports.

Sulayem said: “As a former rally driver I know firsthand the range of emotions that are faced during competition. I have led an extensive and collaborative review with contributions from across the seven FIA world championships, FIA member clubs and other motor sports organizations.

“The improvements the FIA has announced today to Appendix B will ensure we continue to promote the best of sportsmanship in motor sport, while also giving stewards effective guidelines to act against individuals who may bring the sport into disrepute. The FIA will always be committed to ensuring motor sport is accessible for all our sporting family.”

The ISC provides the stewards with the necessary regulatory tools to ensure they have all relevant information regarding the range of penalties that may be imposed and the procedures to be followed. This enables them to apply penalties in a consistent and transparent manner.

The review was carried out in collaboration with the FIA Drivers’ Committee and Ronan Morgan, its president, as well as the FIA Formula One steward chairs. Input was also received from FIA members clubs and other motor sport organizations across the seven FIA world championships.

The main changes to Appendix B are: The base maximum penalty has been reduced generally from €10,000 to €5,000. This is a reduction of 50 percent.  However, for FIA world championships, where multipliers are involved, the reductions will be even more significant.

Stewards will have the option to fully suspend a penalty for certain types of breach, provided it is the first offense by the driver or team.

Following approval via e-vote by the WMSC (World Motor Sport Council), the amended Appendix B will allow stewards to differentiate between controlled and non-controlled environments, effectively recognizing the difference between language used in “uncontrolled” and “controlled” environments. Controlled environments include settings such as press conferences, while uncontrolled environments refer to spontaneous comments made by drivers or teams when on track or during a rally stage.

Mitigating circumstances will continue to be considered, with additional guidance available to promote consistency and fairness for all parties in the application of Appendix B.

Abuse of officials will now result in sporting penalties rather than fines, aligning motor sport with other major global sports organizations.

Racial and discriminatory comments will continue to be addressed firmly.

Stewards will retain the supreme authority to decide which penalty to impose in the event of a breach of the ISC.

Morgan said: “Drivers are looked up to as role models by young fans and are rightly seen as ambassadors for the wider world of motor sport. How they act really does matter, but it is important to recognize that there is a difference between what is said during a race and in a press conference.

“Today’s changes further strengthen the FIA’s International Sporting Code, supporting our drivers by understanding the pressures they face during the heat of competition.”

MATERA, Italy: Overall leader Mads Pedersen made it three wins out of five at this year’s Giro d’Italia as he won a bunch sprint at the end of the fifth stage on Wednesday.

Pedersen just managed to edge out Edoardo Zambanini in a finish that was so close the Lidl-Trek rider had to ask a teammate: “Did I win? Are you sure?”

Tom Pidcock was third at the end of the 151-kilometer (94-mile) route from Ceglie Messapica to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Matera, which is renowned for its “Sassi,” or ancient cave dwellings.

The 29-year-old Pedersen also won two of the three opening stages in Albania to take the leader’s pink jersey back to Italy.

“Now it’s really incredible and to win in this jersey as well, it’s insane and it’s way more than I ever dreamt about,” Pedersen said. “What a Giro we have and what a team I have around me.”

With the bonus seconds Pedersen picked up, the Danish cyclist extended his lead over pre-race favorite Primoz Roglic to 17 seconds, with Mathias Vacek another seven seconds back.

With a kilometer to go, Pedersen appeared too far back but he managed to get up to the front before a late corner and then got a great lead out from Vacek.

Pedersen then launched his final sprint early and just barely held off Zambanini, who almost managed to beat him after coming up along the barriers.

“I used a lot of energy to move back up on Vacek’s wheel,” Pedersen said. “I had to spend energy to come back to at least fight for the win. Then luckily I had enough for the last sprint. So that was a really tough one.”

Prior to this year’s race, Pedersen had only won one stage in the Giro, two years ago in Naples — where Thursday’s sixth stage also ends.

“Every day we try to win as as much as possible and we try again tomorrow,” he said.

The stage is the longest leg of the three-week race and has two categorized climbs on the 227-kilometer route from Potenza.

The Giro ends in Rome on June 1.