Raikkonen: F1 must be harsher to end 'stupidity'

Joas van Wingerden
Monday 5 November 2018 14:13

Kimi Raikkonen says the current disciplinary processes in Formula 1 do nothing to discourage "stupidity" on-track. F1 has operated a 'penalty points' system in recent years, with the threat of a race ban, but Raikkonen says the inclusion of trivial matters dilutes the process.

Raikkonen currently has just two points to his name – only Fernando Alonso (1), Stoffel Vandoorne (1), Lewis Hamilton (0) and Charles Leclerc (0) have fewer – and stands little chance of earning a race ban any time soon.

Drivers are banned if they accrue 12 points over a 12-month period. Romain Grosjean has come close in recent races, with a string of offences putting him up to 10 as recently as the Mexican GP.

However, with points handed down for issues as serious as causing collisions, and ones as comparatively minor like driving the wrong way around a bollard, Raikkonen says the system is flawed.

"It is so random, that you cannot really say it's very strong," he told Motorpsort.

"If they would be very strong on the right things, then they wouldn't need to do a lot of other stuff.

"If you are strong enough to stop certain stupidity that is happening, than I think we wouldn't have to have these small penalties here and there, for no big reason.

"Sometimes you have a good reason, sometimes not – but it is so random.

"I think if you would be really strict in the main points, then the whole thing would change. Then nobody would start doing stupidity."

MORE: Arrivabene: Ferrari fall-out reports 'fake news'
MORE: Vettel: Ferrari not the best car in 2018