Engine change or gearbox change: "Punish the team"

The application of grid penalties last weekend is still on everyone's mind the day after the FIA 's decision. In F1 podcast F1 journalist Frédéric Ferret from the French L'Equipe gives his view on the grid penalties.

After Monza qualifying, it took a long time for the FIA to publish a provisional starting grid. The application of grid penalties was complicated and even the drivers, after the chequered flag at the end of Q3, did not know where they would start the following day. That caused a lot of controversy.

Punish the team

When asked what he thought would be a good way to apply the grid penalties, Ferret gave his view on the matter. The journalist would prefer to see the team penalised and not the driver, as happens with an unsafe release. "I don’t understand why for example the unsafe release from the mechanic and the penalty from the engine or the gearbox has to be on the driver. I would put on the constructor taking away one point, two point from the constructors championship."

One way that could be applied is by taking away constructor points in the championship. At the end of the season that could cost a lot of money and swapping parts would be a considered choice in view of the consequences for the team when the constructors' championship prize pool is distributed. But the penalty does not belong to the driver, the Frenchman said.