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AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly should seriously think about what to do to become the first F1 driver to receive a race ban in more than 10 years.
After the Mexico City Grand Prix, Gasly went on to lead the world championship on penalties (which is definitely not the official title!).
French driver took another penalty Of the 71 laps of the race, this time it was to force Lance Stroll off the track when a controversial overtake entered Turn 4. It was Gasly’s fifth penalty in the fight against Aston Martin this year, with two for the collision with Stroll in Spain and two in Austria Bastian Vettel.
Gasly, however, is more concerned that this latest penalty brings his total for the season to 10. He can also consider himself lucky not to have two points for the incident, as Nicholas Latifi earned him two points for a similar moment with Mick Schumacher in Austin – the difference being Latifi with the Haas driver got in touch.
Pierre Gasly has a clear lead in penalty points
Surprisingly, all of Gasly’s penalties came in a fraction of the time. It’s only been five months since Gasly batted in Spain, and he scored five points in October alone. That means Gasly will need to stay clean for the next seven months, leading him through the last two races of the season and two points from the end of May 2023 all the way to the Monaco Grand Prix.
It wasn’t an ideal situation for Gasly, especially as he tried to settle in and show good form, with the threat of a race ban affecting his driving in numerous races Fighting alongside Esteban Ocon in the Alps.
Gasly, however, could be “out” to secure a clean move to his new team. But it will require him to be willing to race his final race in 2022 and be unable to finish the final race with AlphaTauri after spending most of his F1 career with Faenza, which will bring quite serious side effects.
That’s no small problem, considering Gasly’s close ties to the team he’s rebuilding his career from after the first half of 2019.In fact, Gasly revealed after reaching a long-term deal with the Alps Team boss Franz Tost ‘almost in tears’ over his departure.
The sporting rules state: “If a driver accumulates 12 penalty points, his license will be suspended for the next race (Grand Prix), after which 12 points will be removed from the license”.
So taking two penalty points in this season’s final means Gasly will have to miss his first Grand Prix at Alpine – not an ideal way to start for his new team . In the eight races between Bahrain and Monaco, reaching 12 points at any point resulted in a race ban as a super licence was suspended – the first driver to receive a race ban since Romain Grosjean in 2012.
However, if Gasly is to score two penalty points in the penultimate race of the season in Brazil, he will complete his ban in Abu Dhabi and end his 2022 season early. While this is obviously a huge negative for him, it will cause all of his existing penalty points to disappear and he will start 2023 with a completely clean super license without any concerns.
While it would be a sad way to end the race at AlphaTauri and Red Bull after such a long partnership and many highs and lows, it would be the logical one to do.it may also allow Alpha Taurus If Mercedes is willing to let him move, Nyck de Vries can be guaranteed an early start. And for Alpine, it will mean the arrival of a driver who doesn’t have to be wary for the first eight races in 2023.
Incorrect use of the penalty system
While it’s an unusual situation for a driver to commit a tactical foul like Gasly needs to do, the fact that it has arisen is a bit comical at first.
Penalties were introduced to allow the FIA ​​to impose race bans on drivers who are causing danger to others or themselves – it’s hard to argue that Gasly’s overtaking of Stroll was not a normal (if wayward) race. In fact, the point itself is earned by going off track and gaining an advantage – a crime that’s even lighter than a collision.
Collision is part of motorsport, and instead of haphazardly handing out penalties for every contact, as happened in 2022, the system should be re-evaluated — not penalizing minor infractions or minor collisions. For example, track restriction violations should not be considered a safety issue at all. Nor should there be a slight step back during the safety car, as Gasly was penalized in the US.
“last weekend [in Austin]half the grid left too much space behind the safety car and I got a penalty,” Gasly said after the Mexico race, revealing he planned to speak to the FIA ​​about his latest string of penalties.
“It’s been stressful this weekend and I don’t know why I didn’t get the word to put me back in this position [to Stroll]. At the end of the day, I do my best in the car and the last thing I want to do is [pick up] Stupid penalty and lost game time.
“At the moment, they’re not happy with what I’m doing, so I’m going to have discussions with them to see exactly what I have to change.”
However, if the driver did something appropriately dangerous, the penalty would be even harsher – making it a 6-point violation. The system should affect drivers like Grosjean’s reckless approach to 2012, rather than Gasly putting Stroll into the spin in Spain or pushing him away in Mexico.
Gasly will face a possible race ban sooner or later, though he’s as dangerous as any of his peers – he’s simply not committed any more egregious driving crime than anything he’s seen on the track this season .
Stupid situations like the one Gasly is in now could become more common in 23 and 24 seasons without rethinking the system.
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