Webber receives 10 car grid penality

[John S]

I don't think that a grid penalty was the right penalty.  It wasn't safely executed by Webber, so a fine was definitely in order, but a grid penalty is over the top.  I think that the reprimands should be for on track incidents during the race, not for post race events such as this.

The problem is the drivers can't be fined anymore, part of Todt's compromise to avoid driver unrest after his raising of the drivers fees by an astronomic percentage.    A reprimand, triggering the grid drop was the only sensible option available to stewards.

 

[Irisado]

It wasn't my understanding that the rules specifically prohibited the fining of drivers.  Am I mistaken?  Or is it that fines are no longer included on the list of penalties?

[Scott]

Yes, welcome the reprimand system with the three strikes and then you get a grid penalty.

[Alianora La Canta]

It wasn't my understanding that the rules specifically prohibited the fining of drivers.  Am I mistaken?  Or is it that fines are no longer included on the list of penalties?

The FIA specifically prohibits fining of F1 drivers since the start of 2013 due to licence-based stupidity on the FIA's part. Other series are not affected, neither are F1 teams, and you will still see fines on the list of International Sporting Code penalty options (they were never listed in the F1 Sporting Code because Article 16 was meant to be read in conjunction with the International Sporting Code). It is simply that if the target of a penalty is an F1 driver, the "fine" option is now skipped and a different penalty selected.

[Irisado]

All I can say is that that was a lamentably poor rule change.  Having a system of fines and penalties was much more sensible in my opinion.