Formula 1 Race Director Michael Masi has dismissed complaints from drivers over the structure of the penalty points system.
Several drivers were handed penalty points for various incidents in Austria, with Sergio Perez receiving four for his two moments battling Charles Leclerc.
That brought Perez up to eight, four away from a potential one-event suspension, while McLaren’s Lando Norris is up to 10 – albeit two of those will be removed prior to the next track activity.
A frustrated Norris queried why he was handed penalty points “for someone going into the gravel” and outlined that they should only be issued for actions that are “purely dangerous.”
Norris added that “if you get a ban for little things it’s stupid in my opinion” and “not what Formula 1 should be.”
Norris’ viewpoint was backed up by race winner Max Verstappen.
“So if you would have six of these incidents, right, if you get that six… I don’t think you deserve a ban for what he did or whatever,” he said.
“There’s stuff… I’ve said it before, myself two years ago, that we should look into that but let’s see.”
Masi, though, outlined that teams had the opportunity to address the system but chose not to do so.
“To be fair, it’s a penalty point system that exists, it’s been there all the way through, no different to drivers on the road in the countries that have the maximum number of points that they have to abide by,” he said post-race.
“They have to adjust driving style and stuff accordingly.
“I don’t think they’re harsh, it was discussed late last year, and it’s funny because it affects different drivers and teams in different ways.
“The consensus was at the end of last year, involving teams, the FIA and F1 that there shouldn’t be a change for this year. It’s not something that we would ever change mid-year.
“The penalty scale is something the teams all agree upon and actually have input to at the start of the year. It’s what the stewards use.”
No driver has yet reached 12 points within a 12-month period since the system was introduced in 2014.
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