F1's penalty system and why it needs to be updated

F1 is the highest echelon of motorsport racing not just in terms of engineering but also the speed the cars carry. Hence, to ensure driver safety, the sport introduced a penalty system, which has sparked debate ever since its introduction into the sport.

In this article, we will learn everything there is to learn about the F1 penalty system.

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How does the F1 penalty system work?

The penalty system was first introduced into F1 in 2014 to deter drivers from driving dangerously and endangering themselves and their fellow opponents. Each driver has a super license which is required to compete in F1 and penalty points are added to that with an expiry date. If a driver receives 12 penalty points, they can be banned from a race.

However, race bans are extremely rare and we have only seen six drivers in the last forty years receive one, with Romain Grosjean receiving the most recent one in 2012. This system allows the FIA to keep an eye on certain drivers that might be repeat offenders and ensure that these drivers modify their behavior on track. Since the system was introduced, no driver has been given a ban, although Sebastian Vettel and Grosjean have gotten close, which may suggest the amount of points for a ban is right.

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What can a driver get penalties for in F1?

The point penalty system was introduced to protect rather than penalize. It was introduced to discourage dangerous driving. Endangering another driver could be causing an incident, brake checking another driver, weaving on a straight, crossing the white line at the pit entry and leaving the track to gain an advantage as none of these are going to directly cause a collision. Leaving the track to gain an advantage could also be seen as protecting another driver, for example over-running the chichane in Monaco is safer than coming to a stop to re-enter the track in the correct position.

The penalty system was, as stated above, introduced to monitor drivers and, most importantly, keep both the driver and their opponents safe. However, some argue that certain incidents that can score driver penalty points are not meaningful. These include gaining an advantage by going off track, jump-starting, ignoring blue flags, and lining up incorrectly on the grid.

Furthermore, there seems to be regualar incosistencies with how the penalty points are awarded. This was seen as recently as in Baku, when Williams' Nicholas Latifi was penalized for ignoring blue flags, but Alex Albon went unpunished for the same at the Monaco GP just before that.

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Can this be changed?

Some have suggested a solution could be the FIA having a permanent stewards panel that will have the knowledge of the drivers and their intentions when involved in an incident. This would come at a cost to the FIA, but it would be more effective as the key is upholding safe and fair driving rather than penalizing racing incidents.

All except three drivers on the grid have gotten points on their super liscenses this year, with multiple drivers receiving penalties for gaining a lasting advantage during a race. Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, Daniel Ricciardo, Esteban Ocon, Alex Albon, and Zhou Guanyu have all received penalty points for this infringement.

If penalties of this kind end up causing a race ban, which then results in a different championship result at the end of the season, we could see a similar situation to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix finale last year. However, if the FIA gets on top of this now and looks for a solution with a permanent stewarding board, it could prevent any future protests.

Another way to change this would be to completely revamp the system from the start. The FIA could look at abolishing the current system and drawing up a new one by consulting current and former drivers to create a fairer penalty system.

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The pros and cons of the F1 penalty system

Like everything in F1, the penalty system too has its pros and cons. The intention of the system is one of the massive pros. However, the way it has been implemented over recent years has drawn criticism from many. Lando Norris has questioned the system multiple times, especially after receiving three points for not entering the pit during a red flag. The McLaren driver then rightly claimed that he was not putting anyone in danger and therefore, the penalty he was given was unfair.

The main con of the current F1 penalty system is that most of the penatlies given out are not given out with the intention of driver safety. However, in the past we have seen penalties awarded for the correct reasons, such as after Max Verstappen's collision with Lewis Hamilton last year in Monza. The incident endangered Hamilton and, therefore, ended in two penalty points being added to Verstappen's license.

As with most things in life, the solution probably lies somewhere in between.

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Current penalty points that drivers have

Drivers	Penalty points
Max Verstappen	7
Yuki Tsunoda	7
Lance Stroll	7
Sergio Perez	5
Valtteri Bottas	5
Nicholas Latifi	4
Pierre Gasly	4
Esteban Ocon	4
Alex Albon	4
Lewis Hamilton	2
Fernando Alonso	2
Lando Norris	2
Daniel Ricciardo	2
Kevin Magnussen	2
George Russel	1
Zhou Guanyu	1
Sebastien Vettel	1
Charles Leclerc	0
Carlos Sainz	0
Mick Schumacher	0

With such a long season still ahead of us, will we perhaps see a driver receive a race ban this year?