There’s a growing consensus among Formula 1 drivers that the current penalty point system needs a major overhaul. Recently, Fernando Alonso, Logan Sargeant, and Sergio Pérez voiced their criticism of the rule that imposes a race suspension for accumulating twelve penalty points. “It definitely needs to be looked into,” Pérez insists.
Fernando Alonso was penalized with a time penalty and three penalty points due to his collision with Carlos Sainz during the sprint race in China. This puts the Aston Martin driver at six penalty points. Aston Martin has lodged a protest with the FIA in an attempt to revise the penalty. The meeting about this is scheduled for today (Friday) in Miami.
Williams driver Logan Sargeant also received two penalty points on his license in China for overtaking under the safety car. “It was incredibly frustrating, it was a joke,” the American responded on Wednesday during the FIA press conference in Miami, where the sixth race of the season is scheduled for Sunday.
‘Worse Things Happen’
Sargeant: “Worse things happen during a race weekend, for which you only get reprimanded. I’ve dealt with drivers who braked right in front of me, almost causing me to crash. And nothing was done about it. But if I cross the finish line with someone else and you can hardly see the difference, you immediately get two penalty points. I don’t think it’s a great direction to go in.”
Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez Criticizes Penalty Points System
Red Bull driver Sergio Pérez, who sarcastically referred to himself as the leader in the penalty points championship, has voiced his criticism of the current system. Other drivers, including Pierre Gasly, George Russell, and Max Verstappen, have previously expressed their concerns about the system. Pérez stated, “You often pay the price for an action on the track. In my opinion, there’s no need to add penalty points on top of that. Especially considering the fact that we have more races these days, the penalty points system is definitely something that needs to be looked at. Hopefully, that will happen.”
Last Driver Suspension: Romain Grosjean
Fernando Alonso was highly critical of the system earlier in China, following a penalty he received. “I think 99% of the spectators enjoyed a fun sprint race in China with exciting battles on the track. But then I get a heavy penalty,” he said.
The last driver to be suspended for a race was Romain Grosjean. The Frenchman received the penalty after causing a massive chaos at the start of the Spa-Francorchamps race in 2012. Under the current penalty points system, introduced in 2014, no Formula 1 driver has been suspended.
