New guidelines on the application of cumulative penalties on the grid

Following the confusion surrounding the application of penalties at the Italian Grand Prix, the FIA has revised and clarified its procedure.

Understanding the reshuffling of the starting grid for the Italian Grand Prix proved to be a real headache. Many drivers were penalized after changing engine components, leaving fans puzzled as to why certain cars ended up in specific positions on the grid. The teams themselves were in the dark; at the end of qualifying, they had no idea where their cars would be when the lights went out. To prevent this from happening again, the FIA has revised the sporting regulations, with the changes being approved on Wednesday by the World Motor Sport Council.

From now on, Article 42.2, which governs penalties on the starting grid, will apply as follows: – Drivers who have accumulated a penalty of 15 places or less will first be assigned a “temporary” position based on their qualifying result, to which the penalty will then be added. If two or more drivers share the same temporary position, their order will be determined by their initial position in qualifying: the slowest driver will retain their position and the other will move up one place. – Once these temporary positions have been determined, drivers who have not received a penalty will occupy the remaining positions on the grid, again in qualifying order. – Once the drivers who have not been penalized have been placed, the penalized drivers with a temporary position will move forward to occupy the remaining vacant places. – Drivers whose penalties exceed 15 places, or who are relegated to the back of the grid, will start behind all other classified drivers. Their relative order among themselves will follow the qualifying classification. – Unranked drivers who have been authorized to race by the stewards will take the last places on the grid, behind all ranked drivers, with their internal order determined in accordance with Article 39.3(b).