Which drivers risk a suspension race in 2023?
Although the 2022 Formula 1 season is over, some drivers have accumulated a lot of points which will carry over to the 2023 season and could deprive them of racing...
Throughout the season, Formula 1 drivers accumulate penalty points for their recklessness during a Grand Prix. Recklessness is understood as any collision with another driver, obstruction, or dangerous maneuver. These penalties are retained on their Super License for 1 year (rolling 12 months). The maximum limit for penalty points is set at 12 over the course of 12 months. If a driver reaches this maximum points limit, they receive an automatic race ban, which has never happened before in Formula 1.
A driver particularly threatened by the racing ban.
Pierre Gasly is the driver most threatened by this rule. He currently has a total of 10 penalty points on his Super License since the Spanish Grand Prix in May. Thus, he only has 2 units left before being banned from racing. Considering the points accrual period, the French driver will have to avoid losing any points until May 22nd. In other words, the French driver will have to be impeccable during the first 7 races of the 2023 season, or 6 if the cancelled Chinese Grand Prix does not have a replacement.
Possible or not? That is the question. During three of the last Grand Prix of the 2022 season, those in Japan, the United States, and Mexico, Pierre Gasly will have accumulated a total of 5 penalty points. In Mexico, he was accused of forcing a competitor off the track, and in Austin, he did not respect the distance with the car ahead of him under safety car conditions.
The drivers in favor of a relaxation of the system
Often referred to as “undeserved” by the pilots, these penalties rarely meet unanimous approval.
“If it is not related to misconduct or errors, there shouldn’t be any penalty,” Sergio Pérez declared.
As for Valterri Bottas, he agrees with Pérez: « Points should only be given when it is truly dangerous and can harm the driver or someone else on the track (…) Pierre does not deserve to be in this situation. »
The leaders of Alpine, on the other hand, would be in favor of resetting penalty points from one season to another. When asked about this by Canal+, the boss of Alpine expressed himself:
It’s quite unfair to keep these points from one season to another because it punishes the driver but also their team, and the team they will join next year has not committed any mistakes.
And the other pilots?
Behind the Normandy pilot, Daniel Ricciardo and Lance Stroll have a total of 8 penalty points. Alexander Albon has 7, Alonso has 6, and Latifi and Ocon have 5. While the other drivers range between 5 and 2 penalty points, Charles Leclerc only has one. Valterri Bottas, Lewis Hamilton, and Carlos Sainz have completely clean Super Licenses with no penalties!
