Simple time penalty answer to Nico Monaco GP conundrum?

[John S]

Add 1 sec to best time for car causing Q yellow/red flag.   

The penalty applies regardless of why the flags come out and will only apply to the times in that session. Car breakdown, punctures, losing parts of your car, and of course driver error will all incur the penalty, after all the incident is compromising your fellow competitors Quali session. If no time is set by the driver in the Quali which attracts the penalty no further action, time penalty ends with session.

The only exception will be if they are an innocent party in a two or more collision situation, in which case the guilty party may also cop a further penalty. Further penalties may also apply to any driver if the stewards have evidence of wrongdoing, as is always the case.

The reasoning of 1 second is that it is not enough, in most instances, to take out top drivers in Q1 although it will certainly become a bigger punishment as Q2 & 3 progress. However it certainly changes the balance of power in a Monaco pole situation. 

Obviously in some rare cases it would make no difference at all as the pole man has more than a second in hand, if that's the case a deliberate off is much more unlikely anyway.

With such a simple penalty mechanism in place everyone, drivers, teams, us fans and even the Stewards know exactly what it means when the flags come out.

Downside; we are all robbed of the 'was it on purpose?' controversy and the subsequent media hysteria - after all who will care if it was deliberate? 

Now I realise this may compromise a lot of drivers efforts in Quali sessions, some will drop a long way back for things beyond their control, like punctures or mechanicals, but as I've said before all flags or stoppages compromise other competitors so it evens out.

Well what does anyone else think? 

   

[Scott]

I don't think we can count on more than one hand situations where a leading driver in Q has caused a yellow flag on purpose to stop those following from bettering his lap (Schumacher obviously, and maybe Nico, but the jury really is still out on that one).  Is it really a problem?  I suppose if it really becomes a problem, then they should fix it, but in this last situation, it was only between two drivers on a team.  They should handle that internally, not let the FIA interfere unless someone can prove it was intentional.  Yes, you could say that maybe Massa might have been able to pass Perez for 9th, but really who cares (besides Massa and Perez)? 

I couldn't care a less if Lewis screws over Nico or Nico screws over Lewis, at least until their games interfere with other drivers on other teams who may have been in a position to pounce for pole or 2nd place...at the moment, they are simply fighting for 1st or 2nd. 

Just my opinion.

[Monty]

I agree the problem is far from widespread and at most tracks a yellow during qualifying is irrelevant. The reason it was such an issue is that Pole is so important at Monaco (as the race proved).
I'm sure Nico was guilty. Hopefully, the fact that so many people think he was guilty will be enough of a deterrent to anyone else having a similar thought. After the uproar that this has caused, I bet that if exactly the same situation was to happen again (with identical evidence) the stewards would take action against the guy causing the yellows.

[vintly]

I like the simplicity of your idea John, but I don't think the sport needs it. If once or twice every few years something happens like it did in Monaco, so be it. As mentioned before, it's only really Monaco and possibly Singapore where the tight barriers apply, so it'll hardly happen anyway. Leave it to the stewards.

[Jericoke]

I like the idea.  Even if it's never used, it's a good penalty to hold over drivers' heads.

[F1fanaticBD]

I like the idea as well, I would like to further elevate it, by imposing 2 second penalty if any driver causes a red flag. The reason FIA should impose it because it ensures that drivers will not getaway with such cheeky plan, because after Rosberg I am sure there are few people who may take things a bit further to ensure their pole. By having this sort of penalty on their head, they wouldn't even dare to cause any such thing.

[PG_Gabriel]

Love the idea John. Indycar has a very similar rule during its road course races. Any driver who brings out a yellow or red flag during a qualifying session will be stripped of their fastest two laps. Same idea, you could take away a potential pole lap, but the driver will still start near the front.

[Irisado]

It's not needed.  Such incidents are just one of those things.  These things tend to even themselves out over the course of a season.  There's no need to interfere or try to change the rules for qualifying.