Pierre Gasly must avoid any incidents that would result in him receiving two penalty points during the concluding two races of 2022.
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After receiving another penalty in the Mexican Grand Prix, Pierre Gasly is on the verge of a race ban in Formula One. Gasly received a five-second time penalty and one license point for gaining an advantage by going off track – and forcing Lance Stroll to do the same – while making a pass in the race’s first stint. Stroll was on the outside of the white line as the AlphaTauri driver tied up and ran deep into Turn 4.
Gasly now has 10 penalty points in a 12-month period. He is only two points away from a race ban, and he will not lose any of his current penalty points until next May. Gasly must avoid any incidents that would result in him receiving two penalty points during the concluding two races of 2022 and the initial seven races of the following season.
Earlier this weekend, Gasly admitted that he was “quite close to being banned for a race” and expressed frustration to be in the position when “I don’t feel like I’ve been that dangerous over the last 12 months. It would be a shame to get a race ban for slowing down a bit too much behind the safety car and a couple of track limits [infringements] this year,” said Gasly.
Several drivers have criticized the strict nature of the F1 penalty points system at various times in recent years. Currently, any penalty imposed includes license points by default. The stewards are allegedly limited in what they can do because there is a set list of sanctions and affiliated license penalty points from which to choose. The AlphaTauri driver stated that the FIA is “working on it” and that “probably next year there will be changes.”
“At the moment you’re losing points for these safety-car infringements or track limits, and obviously the penalty for it is a race ban, which we all agree and also the stewards agree is quite harsh. I think they’re working on it and there’s something that should be different for next year.” said Gasly.
| Country | Offence | Penalty points |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | Collision with Stroll | 2 |
| Austria | Collision with Vettel | 2 |
| Austria | Leaving the track without a justifiable reason multiple times | 1 |
| Japan | Speeding under red flag conditions | 2 |
| United States | Fell more than 10 car lengths behind during the safety car | 2 |
| Mexico | Going off track and gaining advantage in Stroll pass | 1 |
