9 replies to this topic

[Gilles12]

Hello everybody

If a driver is due to take a grid penalty that will see him qualify outside the top ten is it right he should then be able to take advantage of this and fill his tank with fuel (as all non penalised competitors who qualify outside the top ten are allowed to do)?

It would be interesting to understand your thoughts

g

[Hippo]

Originally posted by Gilles12
Hello everybody

If a driver is due to take a grid penalty that will see him qualify outside the top ten is it right he should then be able to take advantage of this and fill his tank with fuel (as all non penalised competitors who qualify outside the top ten are allowed to do)?

No because then it wouldn't be a 10 places in grid penalty anymore. Imho there's nothing to moan about. Noone gets this penalty without reason, so they gotta stuff with it.

[Clatter]

Originally posted by Gilles12
Hello everybody

If a driver is due to take a grid penalty that will see him qualify outside the top ten is it right he should then be able to take advantage of this and fill his tank with fuel (as all non penalised competitors who qualify outside the top ten are allowed to do)?

It would be interesting to understand your thoughts

g

If they qualify for Q3 then there is nothing to stop them filling the tanks to the brim, but whatever they put in is locked just as it is with all other Q3 qualifiers. The problem with that is that they would then qualify low down the grid, and the penalty would put them even further back. In France LH needs to go for pole so that he is as near to the front as possible after the penalty is applied.

I suspect your question was really should they be treated in the same way as a non-qualifier, then the answer is no.

[Imperial]

The drivers don't necessarily qualify outside of the top 10, that's the first thing to address.

I suspect you may be referring to the upcoming penalties for Hamilton and Rosberg. Hamilton, at least, is all but assured to qualify within the top 10. The penalty comes afterwards. That's what is assured to put you out of the top 10. It can be no other way.

The penalty is against his final qualifying position thus no further penalty (fuel or otherwise) can or should be handed down.

Don't you think it's penalty enough to lose 10 places on the grid? Especially for Rosberg. He has less chance of being top 10 anyway, he's going to start well down the order.

[Gilles12]

As I understood it, Whitmarsh was saying that if Lewis is demoted to a position below the top ten (after qualifying in Q3) they would fill him up???

Perhap I'm worng - or he was

[Al.]

Originally posted by Gilles12
As I understood it, Whitmarsh was saying that if Lewis is demoted to a position below the top ten (after qualifying in Q3) they would fill him up???

Perhap I'm worng - or he was

But as Clatter said, if he gets into Q3 and they brim it, he's got to qualify with that fuel.
He then drops 10 from where ever he qualifies. They will not be able to fill it up if he wants to qualify on pole and drop to 11th.

[MrAerodynamicist]

In a way it's unfair because it's a double penalty: as well as the intended ten place drop, there's an unpredictable level of screwing up their race strategy that makes it far worse than the penalty "should be": Two drivers might commit the same offence, but if one makes it in to Q3 they pay a higher price than a driver who was only quick enough to make it in to Q2.

However you have to keep it like that, otherwise, any top driver with a penalty would blitz pole every time as they could go out with minimal fuel. Plus, if you've misbehaved and earned yourself a penalty, you can't really grumble about the level of punishment.

[Gilles12]

Edited message

[Kimi Heineken +_+]

it's fair enough

stop to cry

[kar]

Originally posted by MrAerodynamicist
Two drivers might commit the same offence, but if one makes it in to Q3 they pay a higher price than a driver who was only quick enough to make it in to Q2.

Not really, if a driver only makes it to Q2, the best they can hope for is to start from P21 i.e. the back of the grid.

If a driver makes it to Q3, they at least have the chance to start from P11. A much better outcome than 20th, and they still have the option to start from the pitlane anyway and run whatever fuel load they like.