FIA to combat major F1 problem with BIGGER penalties

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FIA to clamp down on major F1 problem with BIGGER penalties

The FIA have responded to the team tactics seen during the sprint race in Miami.

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 21 May 2024 08:27

The FIA are planning to award harsher penalties following certain drivers' antics throughout the 2024 season.

Haas' Kevin Magnussen was handed three 10-second penalties during the Miami Grand Prix sprint race for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, which may have ruined his own race but worked in favour of his team-mate.

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Managing to keep Lewis Hamilton behind, his tactics allowed Nico Hulkenberg to score vital points for Haas.

Despite Hamilton laughing at the Dane’s actions post-race, others were less impressed, with McLaren team boss Andrea Stella describing these antics as "unacceptable".

Kevin Magnussen helps team-mate score points during the Miami sprint

Andrea Stella was unhappy with Kevin Magnussen's antics

How will the FIA tackle team tactics?

According to Autosport, the FIA want to clamp down on these tactics, and start handing out drive-through penalties.

A drive-through penalty would solve the issue by forcing the offending driver to pit and concede track position.

This punishment would be handed out if there was a case of repeat offences where a driver keeps breaking the rules to maintain their position, exemplified by Magnussen in Miami.

The matter was discussed during a team managers briefing at the Emilia Romagna GP, with a verdict yet to be announced.

RB team principal Laurent Mekies was also unhappy with Magnussen’s tactics, and agreed with the position taken by the FIA.

Laurent Mekies agrees with FIA's solution

"It's one thing to slow strategically the cars behind you to help your team-mates or to help your race, it's something different to cut the track and gain a position on somebody to then slow him down," Mekies told Autosport.

"I think the sport needs to find a way to avoid it from happening. It's not that difficult, it's called a drive-through. The rulebook completely allows the stewards to judge what happened and do that.”

Lewis Hamilton McLaren FIA Miami Grand Prix Haas Nico Hulkenberg