ROUND 23: 🇶🇦 Qatar
FORMULA 1 QATAR AIRWAYS QATAR GRAND PRIX 2024
Circuit stats
- Circuit name: Lusail International Circuit
- First Grand Prix: 2021
- Number of laps: 57
- Circuit Length: 5.419 km
- Race Distance: 308.611 km
- Lap record: 1:24.319 Max Verstappen (2023)
- 2023 winner: Max Verstappen
Track Map
The problem with inconsistent penalties is because there are a range of punishments for most offenses. Its meant to give discretion to the stewards to adjust the level depending on the malice and/or impact assigned to the offense. Obviously this completely falls down when you fail to define something so nebulous as malice or impact in these same rules and have different people interpreting it week to week.
If we had just one penalty for say forcing a driver off, or speeding in the pit lane, then had a multiplier if it was intentional or not, that would at least clear up the consistency around the size of a penalty. Overtaking by exceeding track limits should be a flat 10 second penalty for everyone as an example, not 5 seconds one week and 10 seconds the next.
Blocking on a hot lap should always be a 5 place grid drop, blocking on a slow lap should never be a penalty, but what even is the point of a 1 place drop? Like WTAF, its like they been told to punish Max (for something that should not be an offense) then chose the smallest possible punishment going.That simply shouldn’t be possible.