P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has urged changes to how time penalties are used in Formula 1 as he believes the current
The issue of penalties sparked a heated discussion prior to the Japanese Grand Prix following the stewards’ decision to penalize Fernando Alonso in Australia. Alonso received a 20-second penalty for allegedly slowing down excessively before Turn 6, leading to George Russell’s crash on the final lap. Despite Alonso’s argument that his move was not risky, he dropped from sixth to eighth in the rankings. Leclerc supported Alonso’s punishment but highlighted the inconsistency in penalty application based on the driver’s track position. Leclerc cited the case of his teammate Carlos Sainz being penalized at Albert Park the previous year and emphasized the need for a fairer penalty system. He suggested that fixed position penalties might provide more equitable outcomes compared to time penalties prone to race circumstances. Leclerc acknowledged that regulations might not cover every scenario but endorsed the use of “common sense” in penalizing drivers when warranted, even if not explicitly stated in the rules.
