FIA makes F1 grid box changes following Fernando Alonso’s penalty saga

Following recent 'incorrect starting position' penalties for Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso, changes to F1 grid boxes will be introduced at the Australian GP.


FIA makes F1 grid box changes following Fernando Alonso’s penalty saga

Fernando Alonso

In Saudi Arabia, Fernando Alonso first received a 5-second penalty for an incorrect starting grid position. He served that under the safety car, and eventually went on to finish P3 on track. Only the Red Bulls were ahead of him, once again. But post-race, it came out that he was given a penalty for incorrectly serving the said penalty, and was handed a further 10-second penalty, applied on his finish time. However, this was later reinstated.

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The penalty was because the rear jack was touching Alonso’s car while he serving his penalty. But later, it was determined that there were ‘conflicting precedents’ for what the term ‘working on the car’ actually constitutes. So, the decision was reversed, and the Spaniard got his landmark 100th podium finish back. With the same decision, they also announced that they will ‘clarify’ the rule ahead of the Australian GP. Now, another significant ‘change’ in regard to the rules has arrived.

Like Alonso in Jeddah, Esteban Ocon was also penalized for an incorrect starting grid position – and then a variety of other penalties, in Bahrain. Keeping these two instances in mind, the FIA has made some changes to the starting grid boxes ahead of the Australian GP. An FIA spokesperson told RacingNews365.com that the grid boxes will be 20 centimeters (~7.9 inches) wider for the upcoming race(s).

Read More: FIA to clarify the rule that caused the Fernando Alonso podium controversy in Saudi Arabia

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Max Verstappen’s take on Fernando Alonso’s penalty

Fernando Alonso (L) and Max Verstappen (R)
Fernando Alonso (L) and Max Verstappen (R)

In addition to the grid boxes being wider, there will also be a line down the center (of the box) to aid drivers in placing their cars. These are definitely welcome changes, considering the current generation of cars is wider than the previous ones. In addition to that, with the large tires, the visibility is not the greatest. This was cited by Max Verstappen, in relation to Fernando Alonso’s and Esteban Ocon’s penalties.

The Dutchman said as per Motorsport.com: “The visibility is just really poor in the car, that is probably the main issue where you end up sometimes not fully correctly in your box. It is painful when it happens but it’s a bit the same with the white line with track limits. Sometimes you argue: did you gain anything going wide or not, going outside of it? I think at one point we do need a rule. It looks really silly if people start to take advantage of going really left and right but I don’t know what we can do better.”

So now that the grid boxes are wider, one would expect a penalty for incorrect starting positions to be less likely. It’s not impossible, of course. It’s still a very real possibility that a driver may misfire in an attempt to gain an advantage., and put their car a bit over the line. It’ll be interesting to see the drivers’ reactions to the new change.

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