"We waited for several hours for the tortuous and complex process"- TV pundit discloses what gives a 'bad look' to F1 after 2022 Italian GP

Prominent F1 pundit Martin Brundle claimed the array of grid penalties ahead of the 2022 Italian GP gave the sport a 'bad look'. The Briton argued that it was disappointing for fans to tune into Saturday's qualifying session and not see the grid being formed for the following day.

For the second time in three races, the 2022 F1 Italian GP saw Saturday's exciting qualifying session lose a bit of its value due to a few drivers taking grid penalties. As a result, fast drivers such as Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton found themselves at the back of the grid in Monza.

While the prospect of seeing the likes of Hamilton and Max Verstappen plow through the field is certainly exciting, it undermines the value of qualifying sessions.

Writing in his post-race column for Sky Sports F1, Brundle reflected on the state of the sport in Monza, claiming it could potentially damage its reputation. He wrote:

"With seven cars choosing to, or mostly forced to, take penalties for new power unit components and other misdemeanours for the second time in three races, the grid didn't remotely represent the qualifying order."

Brundle added:

"This is an unacceptable situation, because when the fans turn up trackside or switch on their TV sets to watch qualifying, they should reasonably expect that they're watching the race grid being formed. Instead we waited for several hours for the tortuous and complex process of how penalties were applied."

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How can F1 solve this problem?

The idea of giving drivers and teams grid penalties is to stop them from throwing in new power units and gearboxes at the drop of a hat. The sport would likely also be a lot less exciting for fans if teams didn't have to worry about reliability at all. However, as a consequence, qualifying often don't reflect the correct starting grid order on Sunday's, making Saturday's a lot less entertaining.

As per Martin Brundle, the sport can give teams more power units to begin with, making the prospect of taking grid penalties less likely. F1 can also introduce a pit-lane penalty for defaulters, forcing drivers to perhaps take a trip through the pit-lane at some point during the race.

Brundle continued in his column:

"Options might include simply giving each driver more power units per season, applying an in-race penalty such as a pitlane drive-through to be taken at some point in the race, or giving the teams commensurate financial and championship points pain rather than the drivers having to carry the burden through no fault of their own."

With only six races to go in the 2022 F1 season, the sport can perhaps take another look into its penalty policy to make the racing more enjoyable for all.