As a consequence of FIA guidelines, one System 1 driver is already vulnerable to being banned from a race close to the start of the 2023 season.
Coming into the 2023 System 1 season, 17 drivers have at the very least one penalty level to their title, with 15 of these drivers set to compete all through the upcoming 23-race marketing campaign.
Simply 5 drivers — Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr., Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas, AlphaTauri rookie Nyck de Vries, and Williams rookie Logan Sargeant — are completely unscathed heading into the brand new season.
The motive force who leads everybody with 10 penalty factors, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, is simply two factors away from being issued a one-race ban, as any driver who reaches 12 factors should sit out the following race.
Gasly reached 10 factors when he was given one for leaving the observe and gaining a bonus through the Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in late October, main some to counsel that he ought to deliberately obtain a suspension towards the top of the 2022 season to keep away from having to serve it in 2023 after leaving AlphaTauri for Alpine.
Probably the most worrying half for Gasly, nevertheless, isn’t the truth that he sits at 10 factors.
It’s the truth that he’s assured to have at the very least 10 factors via the primary seven races of the season, as none of his factors expire till after the Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The primary two of his 10 factors don’t expire till Monday, Might 22, which is almost one-third of the way in which into the brand new season.
Right here’s how he racked up his 10 factors through the 2022 season.
- Spanish Grand Prix (Might), 2 factors: Collision with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll
- Expiration date: Monday, Might 22
- Austrian Grand Prix (July), 2 factors: Collision with Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel
- Expiration date: Monday, July 10
- Austrian Grand Prix (July), 1 level: Leaving the observe “with out a justifiable purpose” on a number of events
- Expiration date: Monday, July 10
- Japanese Grand Prix (October), 2 factors: Rushing underneath crimson flag situations, an incident which generated huge consideration due to the presence of the restoration tractor on the observe on the time
- Expiration date: Monday, October 9
- United States Grand Prix (October), 2 factors: Falling greater than 10 automotive lengths behind through the Security Automotive interval
- Expiration date: Monday, October 23
- Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix (October), 1 level: Leaving the observe and gaining a bonus
- Expiration date: Monday, October 30
The 2023 System 1 season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, March 5 with the Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain Worldwide Circuit. ESPN is about to broadcast the race stay starting at 10:00 a.m. ET.
