What to replace grid penalties with?

[Mamba]

Hi Ladies and Gents

The topic of a possible alternative to grid penalties is quite hot in the news so how come I not find a discussion on it?

I don't know if this was proposed elsewhere but why can't they award penalty points instead of grid penalties? So for using more than the allotted amount of engine components you lose championship points but stay where you qualified. The amount of points can vary per component size but they should not be very high. Five should be the max in my opinion. Such a system will reward a good qualifying but penalizing the car/driver combo for using more engine components at the same time. I think it is a much fairer system than currently in use.

your thoughts and ideas?

MAMBA

[TAG]

I don't personally like what exists now since it cost my driver a championship last year but no one was crying too loudly then. It's become a very fashionable topic lately though.

I think it's fair, it's and across the board rule and we know what we're getting, that's all you can ask for in a penalty situation, consistency. We may not like it but the massive grid penalties given are pointless once you're at the back of the grid. The click bait articles and some announcers specifically go out of their way to make a big deal of them but it's a moot point once you're at the back whether you have 10, 20, 40 or 65 grid spots.

It's a far better system than the inconsistent race to race penalties given IMO, they're barking up the wrong tree. The real problem in the sport is a driver getting a 10 second stop and go penalty for throwing his car at a competitor. But that's a much pricklier topic to discuss and Liberty Media seems to be okay not turning over that rock.

[Tom145145]

I have been thinking that making any new component carry a FIA set weight penalty, i.e 5kg extra for a 5th engine throughout its life.

[flynfrog]

go back to one weekend engines. Blow your engine start form the back of the pack. I always found the pinnacle race series reusing engines from one week to the next to be a farce.

[Vanja #66]

4-6 power train components per season, for each new manufacturer (including Honda) without a win 2-3 extra sets. Progressive grid penalties when using more components than allowed - single position drop for each first new component, 5 place drop for each second new component, back of the grid for each third and start from pit lane for fourth and so on...

[dans79]

go back to one weekend engines. Blow your engine start form the back of the pack. I always found the pinnacle race series reusing engines from one week to the next to be a farce.

I agree, it would not surprise at all to find out that they can make the engines just as powerful, and cheaper per unit if they don't have to dumb obscene amounts of money into R&D to make them ultra reliable.

[Manoah2u]

I don't think the grid penalties for engines needs to go, what needs to happen is to be reasonable about the engine usage, 6 engines a season is fine, just leave it at that and outside of that, you get penalties.

[Tim.Wright]

The driver get to keep his grid position but on the grid before the race, the driver has to skoll one beer for every engine he uses outside of the allocated pool.

[Zynerji]

I like flyinfrog s idea.

1 power unit per weekend, and if you break it, you start at the back or from the pit lane.

Maybe just a 3 place drop of you revert to last races kit instead of a new one...

[ESPImperium]

New engine manufacturers championship?

* Both works drivers plus top 2 customer cars score points
* Points system to follow a new placing system based on finishing place, 1 point for 1st, 2 for 2nd...
* Engine points can be scored by finishing anywhere in the race
* The engine supplier with the least points is proved to be the best
* Suppliers will get allowances for each type of team for next year:
- Winning engine; 4 PUs for Works side, 5 for Customers
- Second Engine; 5 PUs for Works side, 6 for Customers
- Third Engine; 6 PUs for Works side, 8 for Customers
- Fourth Engine; 8 PUs for Works side, 10 for Customers
* New suppliers in the last 5 years without a win would get a extra 2 PU allowance on each
* Customer teams without a win in the last 5 years also get an extra allowance of 2 PU on each

Yes it makes engine rules complicated, but who cares? Or do we go back to the one PU to 2 weekends thing, and if theres a replacement element on that PU, a 2 place deduction takes place?

[n_anirudh]

I don't think the grid penalties for engines needs to go, what needs to happen is to be reasonable about the engine usage, 6 engines a season is fine, just leave it at that and outside of that, you get penalties.

Engines are fine, but other components attract penalties

[Zynerji]

New engine manufacturers championship?

* Both works drivers plus top 2 customer cars score points
* Points system to follow a new placing system based on finishing place, 1 point for 1st, 2 for 2nd...
* Engine points can be scored by finishing anywhere in the race
* The engine supplier with the least points is proved to be the best
* Suppliers will get allowances for each type of team for next year:
- Winning engine; 4 PUs for Works side, 5 for Customers
- Second Engine; 5 PUs for Works side, 6 for Customers
- Third Engine; 6 PUs for Works side, 8 for Customers
- Fourth Engine; 8 PUs for Works side, 10 for Customers
* New suppliers in the last 5 years without a win would get a extra 2 PU allowance on each
* Customer teams without a win in the last 5 years also get an extra allowance of 2 PU on each

Yes it makes engine rules complicated, but who cares? Or do we go back to the one PU to 2 weekends thing, and if theres a replacement element on that PU, a 2 place deduction takes place?

Well, that makes it easier for the casual fan to understand...

[Just_a_fan]

Simple system. One engine per weekend. No replacement allowed during the weekend. If it breaks you go home.

Having said that, I agree with TAG above. The system was fine last season for many fans but this year more fans might see their favourite driver / team lose out so they're annoyed.

[adrianjordan]

How about a complete change. Use as many PU's etc as you want. Suppliers must offer a fixed price contract to customers and must allow them access to the latest spec PU and all components within 1 race of the works team getting them and must supply at least 1 PU per race weekend.

Customer teams free to arrange sponsorship related renaming of PU (true fans will know which PU it is anyway).

Blow your PU during a race weekend and you start from the back of the grid.

[adrianjordan]

New engine manufacturers championship?

* Both works drivers plus top 2 customer cars score points
* Points system to follow a new placing system based on finishing place, 1 point for 1st, 2 for 2nd...
* Engine points can be scored by finishing anywhere in the race
* The engine supplier with the least points is proved to be the best
* Suppliers will get allowances for each type of team for next year:
- Winning engine; 4 PUs for Works side, 5 for Customers
- Second Engine; 5 PUs for Works side, 6 for Customers
- Third Engine; 6 PUs for Works side, 8 for Customers
- Fourth Engine; 8 PUs for Works side, 10 for Customers
* New suppliers in the last 5 years without a win would get a extra 2 PU allowance on each
* Customer teams without a win in the last 5 years also get an extra allowance of 2 PU on each

Yes it makes engine rules complicated, but who cares? Or do we go back to the one PU to 2 weekends thing, and if theres a replacement element on that PU, a 2 place deduction takes place?

Well, that makes it easier for the casual fan to understand...

Casual fans don't care about those things and struggle to understand the situation like we had in Monza where the qualifying results and final grid were quite, quite different.