History of Formula One regulations

The regulations governing Formula One, set by the sport's governing body, the FIA, have changed many times throughout the history of the sport. The primary reason behind rule changes has traditionally been safety. As each decade has passed, the FIA has made more and more changes in the regulations so that better facilities and equipment are available in the event of an accident at race meetings. These rule changes have also been aimed at eliminating dangerous practices from the sport in an effort to make it safer.

Many innovations and technological improvements have been banned over the years as a result of FIA regulation changes. The governing body has taken these actions to slow the cars down to a level where they can be driven relatively safely; if cornering speeds were sufficiently high, an accident while cornering would almost certainly result in the death of the driver.

Since 2000, the FIA has been issuing an increasing number of rule changes to limit the cost of Formula One, which has increased dramatically and to an unsustainable degree in recent years. From 2009 onwards, the sport has committed itself to dramatic reductions in expenditure.