A Formula 1 driver could be hit with 12 penalty points and collect an automatic race ban, calling for the rules to be changed. Inevitably, the loudest calls are from the losers.
Pierre Gasly’s 10 penalty points at the Mexican Grand Prix put him just two shy of a ban.
“I hope we can review the whole system over the winter, because I believe I won’t be the only one in trouble if we continue this way,” he said. “It’s a shame to see four or five drivers suspended for the race and lose the race with some guys.”
Gasly’s situation is difficult as he has collected 10 penalties in quick succession. The only two drivers before him who came closest to getting an automatic suspension were Sebastian Vettel and Daniil Kvyat. Lewis Hamilton has provisionally reached 10 points in 2020, although the last two were withdrawn within hours after the stewards reconsidered their decision.
Penalty points expire 12 months after being awarded to a driver. Vettel and Kvyat didn’t have to wait long before penalty points were deducted from their licence.
But Gasly won’t miss anything until May 22 next year. He therefore begins the first six races of next year as an Alpine driver knowing that he is in serious danger of being banned (there were seven races until the Chinese Grand Prix was dropped from the 2023 F1 calendar).
Gasly will no doubt be worried about not becoming the first F1 driver to reach 12 penalty points and collect an automatic suspension. After the Mexican Grand Prix, he faced many fears after turning 10. He missed out on more points on two occasions in Brazil and Sergio Perez was suspected of being penalized for delaying in Abu Dhabi as it was the final race of the season.
But Gasly is not the only driver to say it would be wrong if he collects two more penalty points in the opening six race days of 2023. And he said he expects the FIA to reconsider the system.
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“Discussions have taken place and this year I think that the FIA will definitely review the points system,” said Mercedes Racing, who believes that Gasly’s points are mostly accumulated in incidents that do not endanger others and that do not lead to serious penalties such as suspensions.
“I think if any driver receives a racing ban it should be for something serious and I certainly wouldn’t put Pierre in the category of a dangerous or reckless driver,” Russell said. “Many of the penalty points are for non-dangerous driving.
“It’s a shame to see caste prohibition taken away. Even if he gets those 12 points, I think they should reconsider.
Russell makes a compelling case that drivers should not collect penalty points. Drivers have been debating this point for years.
Earlier this year, Ollie Caldwell was banned for one round from Formula 2 after accumulating 12 penalty points on his licence, which applies the same penalty points to F1. Most of these points were received for track limit violations. F2 chief executive Bruno Michel, when asked by Resfans, agreed that the suspension was “very severe” and that “there is definitely something wrong with it”.
In addition to the specific issue of track restrictions, there is an additional argument for reforming penalty points rules. In the year When F1 was introduced in 2014, the calendar featured 19 Grands Prix. Next year’s calendar has 23, potentially back to 24, and an additional six races.
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So the scope for drivers to collect penalty points is much higher. Not only will there be more opportunities for drivers to add 12 points, but the addition of the Sprint race will allow drivers to take part in events and collect points in a large amount of racing sessions.
The counterpoint to all these arguments is that drivers should knowingly avoid breaking the rules, and that’s reasonable. But as the FIA has set an arbitrary limit on the number of points a driver can collect in a season, it will be appropriate to increase it as the calendar progresses. For example, it would make sense to raise the threshold to 15 points.
However, to do so at this stage invites the interpretation that the FIA will only relax the rules to prevent an F1 driver from being banned from racing. This flies in the face of the ‘rules are the rules’ stance he has taken on recent decisions, such as IndyCar’s refusal to lower the no less arbitrary superlicensing points standard to allow Colton Hertha to compete in F1.
The FIA’s World Motor Sport Council is set to meet in Bologna today, but it is unlikely that any significant changes to how the two systems will affect F1 will be agreed based on these points.
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