Alpine import Pierre Gasly has predicted penalty suspensions could be a common sight in 2023 under Formula 1 's current points system.
The 26-year-old has departed AlphaTauri to begin a new chapter with Alpine, but his 10 licence points will follow the Frenchman to his new employer. Drivers are only allowed to incur 12 penalty points in a 12-month period before they must serve an automatic one-race ban.
Gasly is at the most immediate risk of triggering a suspension, but he's predicted some of his peers are also likely to be forced to sit out a race. It's his suggestion that the current format needs to be addressed in order to prevent unnecessary absences on the grid.
“I don’t see myself as a racing driver who puts others in danger,” said Gasly, per Speedweek . “Rather, the fact is that I have numerous penalty points due to procedural errors, let’s say by driving beyond the track limit boundary. I really hope we can find ways to rethink the scoring system.
“I don’t think it can be in the interest of the sport that we suddenly have five banned drivers or, in the worst case, a World Championship without one of the main drivers being able to compete at all,” he said. But if we continue with the current system, then sooner or later we will get into trouble.”
Aston Martin's Lance Stroll comes closest to matching Gasly's tally with eight licence points of his own, while Red Bull ace Max Verstappen and Williams' Alex Albon each have seven apiece. A one-race ban could be particularly damaging for Verstappen, who will be targeting a third straight drivers' championship in 2023.
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Mercedes driver George Russell, who serves as a director for the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, has acknowledged flaws to the current set-up. The FIA is expected to conduct a review of the points system during the off-season, which could lighten the risk of suspensions next year.
“The penalty doesn’t fit the crime, especially in Pierre’s case,” Russell told BBC Sport earlier in November. “They have expressed that we will have the conversation in the off-season and review all of this. There is a lot to review this season in many different regards, so the FIA will definitely have a busy off-season.
Russell went on to say F1 must be "ready and able to adapt" in order to promote the best product. The 2023 season is due to begin in Bahrain on March 5, but plenty of change could be on the horizon in regards to the sport's regulation prior to the restart.
