The penalty system will become more lenient next season after the sport green-lighted a plan to introduce smaller time penalties for minor infringements.
At present, race stewards have a limited number of options at their disposal including drive-through penalties, stop-and-go penalties, time additions and grid demotions.
However the minimum penalty, a drive-through, can take upwards of 15-seconds to complete at even the shortest of pitlanes and is considered ‘harsh’ for minor infringements such as corner cutting.
Therefore new five and ten second penalties will be introduced and can be taken whilst a driver is undergoing a routine stop – should they not plan to stop again after the penalty has been awarded, then it will be added to their final race time.
The change means a driver will simply be held by his mechanics for an additional five or ten seconds, once they have completed his pit-stop.
Further changes will be confirmed at the World Motor Sport Council meeting next week. Among them are stricter penalties for unsafe stops and over-ride facilities for pit crew.
