SEPTEMBER 7, 2017

Grid penalty system incomprehensible

Pressure is growing for F1 to scrap its system of grid penalties for technical car failures.

In the name of cost cutting, drivers are penalised with grid penalties when they run through their allocation of limited engine parts for the season.

Former F1 driver Jochen Mass told the German source T-Online: "Moving down the grid for changing a part is completely incomprehensible to me.

"These are parts of the car, and when they do not run, they need to be changed.

"We all saw the chaos of Monza, where numerous drivers were punished," he added.

New F1 sporting boss Ross Brawn says the need for a new system is even "urgent", but it may not be possible to find an alternative until 2021.

"We will look at this in forthcoming meetings," said FIA president Jean Todt, "but it is not easy to find a solution."

Brawn said: "We hope to find a solution before the introduction of the new engine generation in 2021.

"Why? Because I think the current system is very unpopular with the fans. We need to find a better way."

(GMM)