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Mercedes believes F1’s current system of reprimands needs changes to suit the changing requirements of the ever-growing calendar.
Team manager Ron Meadows has claimed that the current system, where a driver receives grid penalties for three reprimands, is “fit-for-purpose” and unsuitable for a 23-race calendar. Speaking to RN365 ahead of the Saudi Arabian GP, Meadows said:
“This ‘right of review’ is obviously a bit challenging for everyone, but I think, all in all, it’s not bad. I think there’s talk of extending the number of reprimands you can have because of the longer season, which makes perfect sense. Because 12 points and three reprimands might not be enough for a 23, 24 race season. That we came up [with] when we had 16, 17 races. I think it looks like we’re going to five reprimands, which I think is a good compromise. I would go to probably 15 penalty points [in a 12-month period].”
F1 reprimands differ from penalty points and can be issued for both on-track and off-track incidents. Drivers who get three reprimands within a season will automatically face grid penalties in a subsequent race if two of those reprimands are due to driving infringements.
Unlike penalty points, however, reprimands reset at the end of the season and aren’t carried over into the new season.
Meanwhile, penalty points are awarded for driving offenses only, and sometimes along with reprimands. Drivers who accumulate 12 penalty points within a 12-month period, regardless of whether they are across multiple seasons, will automatically get a race ban.
Lewis Hamilton cost Mercedes £41,000 in penalties last year
The seven-time world champion reportedly cost his team nearly £41,000 in penalties last season alone, which is four times as much as his entire tally throughout the previous decade. As reported by The Sun UK, the Briton accrued penalties worth £51,400 between 2011 and 2021 in two stints with McLaren and Mercedes.
In a season marred by controversy, title protagonists Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen both accrued costly penalties in 2021. Hamilton received an eye-watering €25,000 fine in Brazil alone for loosening his safety harness on the cooldown lap after the race.
That, however, pales in comparison to the fine Verstappen received during qualifying on the same weekend. For touching the rear wing of Hamilton’s Mercedes under parc fermé conditions, the Dutchman was fined a whopping £41,700, paid for by his Red Bull team.
