FIA adjust grid slot rule after multiple penalties in early races of 2023 season

Australian Grand Prix

FIA makes KEY rule change ahead of Australian Grand Prix

Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon had already fallen foul of the tight grid slots this season, now the rule has been axed

Chris Deeley

Wednesday 29 March 2023 16:36 Updated: 17:03

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Drivers will be given more leeway when lining up on the grid in Melbourne this weekend, with the FIA widening grid slots by 20cm after penalising drivers in each of the season's first two races.

Estaban Ocon and Fernando Alonso fell victim to the rule in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia respectively, the latter's misstep almost indirectly costing him a place on the podium when his Aston Martin pit crew were adjudged to have begun working on his car early when he came in to serve that penalty – a ruling that was overturned on appeal.

Ocon admitted after the first race of the season it was his responsibility to get it right.

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“I had the meeting with the FIA, just to understand what exactly happened, and it’s clear now and we move forward," said the Frenchman.

“It was too much to the right, basically. So that’s where it could get confusing, because it was too much to the right and over the line. Unfortunately, you can't see very well in these cars, especially not when you're on the grid like that. You can see the yellow line as a reference, but it is up to me to fix it."

Cascading penalties

In and of themselves, the five-second penalties for grid slot violations aren't especially severe. However, both drivers were later punished for other things related to serving their punishments.

Alonso's, as mentioned, was overturned on appeal. Ocon, however, wasn't so lucky. He was handed a 10-second penalty during the race for his mechanics working on the car before his five seconds were up, before being penalised again for speeding in the pit lane before serving his 10 seconds.

The FIA's willingness to tweak the grid slots appears to be a concession to the fundamental idea that races should be determined on the track, rather than by penalties and minor rule breaches.