The penalty points system in Formula 1 has become a contentious issue this season. Kevin Magnussen was recently handed three penalty points on his super license in Miami, following his overstepping in the sprint race against Lewis Hamilton. Max Verstappen, however, doesn’t seem overly concerned about the system, stating, “As a driver, you might also question why you always find yourself in that position.”
When a driver accumulates twelve penalty points within a twelve-month period, they are automatically suspended for one race. Currently, Kevin Magnussen, Sergio Pérez, and Logan Sargeant lead the list, each with eight penalty points. Verstappen, on the other hand, has no cause for concern as his tally stands at just two penalty points. The last driver to be suspended from a race was Frenchman Romain Grosjean in 2012, after causing a severe crash at the Belgium GP. At that time, the penalty points system did not exist.
‘Randomness Seems Strange’
Max Verstappen did express in Miami that he sometimes finds it hard to understand the stewards’ decisions when imposing penalties. “I find the penalties sometimes very difficult to comprehend. Why someone gets one, two, or three penalty points. I find that randomness strange. Would a system with fixed stewards help? I don’t think it would make much difference.”
Sergio Pérez’s Critique of the Penalty Points System
During the FIA press conference in Miami, Sergio Pérez sarcastically mentioned that he is leading in the penalty points championship. However, he expressed his belief that the system needs to be critically reviewed.
Max Verstappen commented on this, saying, “On the other hand, as a driver, you have to ask yourself why you always find yourself in that position. Sometimes you just have to think along the lines of: ‘If I do this, I might cause a crash.’ You may sometimes disagree with a penalty or find it unfair, but you should try not to get into that situation,” said Verstappen, who realizes that he often found himself in similar situations during his early years in Formula 1. He added with a laugh, “Yes, that was in the past.”
No Unsportsmanlike Behavior from Magnussen
Kevin Magnussen had to report to the stewards on Saturday evening to answer for alleged unsportsmanlike behavior. This could have resulted in further penalty increases, but in the end, the Haas driver was acquitted. The stewards did suggest in their justification that it would be good to start a discussion about giving stewards more power to increase penalties.
Max Verstappen is not worried about potential changes. “For me, it won’t change anything,” he said.
