F1 News

FIA penalty changes ensure more entertaining Qualifying sessions

FIA penalty changes ensure more entertaining Qualifying sessions

06-12-2018 08:05
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The FIA has changed the way penalties will be applied in an attempt to encourage greater participation in qualifying. 

Last season a rule was applied that if you had more than 15 places of power unit grid penalties you were put to the back of the grid. When more than one driver had the same problem the starting order would be determined by whoever committed the offence first, so the first car on the track. 

This led to drivers leaving their garages well before the start of sessions and parking their cars at the end of the pitlane to ensure that they would be first out. 

To stop this happening the FIA has ruled that penalised drivers will now line up on the grid in the order in which they qualified. This should stop penalised drivers from making a single appearance in Q1 and then just saving their tyres. There should be more competition in qualifying.