No less than seventeen cars had to take penalties on the starting grid due to the replacement of power unit elements during the 2022 Formula One season.
In fact, only Sebastian Vettel/Nico Hulkenberg (Aston Martin), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Alexander Albon /Nyck De Vries (Williams), Nicholas Latifi (Williams) and Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) – all powered by Mercedes – managed to end the championship without any grid penalties, while all others had to start from the back of the grid or at least take a five-place grid penalty at some point.
This has generated completely distorted grids in some races, such as those of Spa-Francorchamps and Monza which were difficult for both regular F1 fans and occasional fans to understand. At the same time, teams were trying to channel the penalties for the most suitable circuits, where overtaking is easier.
The F1 Commission launched a procedure a few weeks ago to understand how to improve the current penalty system, which was introduced with the goal of reducing costs, but which is failing mainly due to the penalty system.
During the meeting held in November five proposals were discussed, which will be submitted to the sport and power unit advisory committees and teams. The first idea is to have the penalties taken no longer in qualifying, but during the race, at the first pit stop perhaps within a certain number of laps after the start of the grand prix.
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The second concerns multiple simultaneous changes of elements, a tactic often used by the teams to avoid ruining several races: more severe penalties are being studied which could act as a deterrent.
The third is the proposal to subtract from the number of pieces available during the season the damaged and replaced elements, which therefore could not be put in the car in free practice. The fourth would then exclude from the calculation the parts damaged in crashes, for which special provisions would be introduced. Finally, the fifth is linked to the idea of increasing the ICE (internal combustion engine) granted to the teams by one unit, which would take the limit from the current three to four.
The members of the F1 Commission – after receiving the approval from the relevant committees – will vote on the project with the usual 30 votes available, equally divided between the FIA, Formula 1 and the teams. Any changes will then be voted on and ratified by the World Motorsport Council.
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