Formula 1 penalties

Team boss demands: “We have to prevent this”

Kevin Magnussen drives ahead of Lewis Hamilton in Miami.(Bild: AP/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Racing Bulls team boss Laurent Mekies has spoken out in favor of more drive-through penalties and fewer time penalties. This would prevent behavior like that of Kevin Magnussen in Miami. 

Magnussen's performance in Miami has raised many tempers in Formula 1. Including that of Mekies, who certainly understands the need to drive tactically, but there are also limits that drivers must not cross, according to the Racing Bulls team boss. 

"It's one thing to slow down for strategic reasons in order to support your teammate or to gain something for yourself. But it's quite another to leave the track and overtake someone only to slow them down. Formula 1 has to prevent that," the Frenchman clarifies.

Not a fan of time penalties
The team boss, who was previously deputy race director at the FIA, is certain that the necessary means are available. The magic formula: drive-through penalties instead of time penalties. "If you've already done something wrong in the race, then the drive-through penalty would be just the thing in my opinion." 

The main advantage is obvious. With time penalties, drivers lose virtual time and perhaps even places at the end, but they remain on the track and can therefore continue to deliberately block other drivers. With a drive-through penalty, on the other hand, the drivers would have to give up their position immediately, which is why a maneuver like that of the Dane would no longer be possible. 

Laurent Mekies(Bild: AFP/GETTY IMAGES/CLIVE ROSE)

It is therefore time to act as quickly as possible, says Mekies: "We shouldn't just let it go on like this. Otherwise, someone might cut in at the chicane in Monaco and then slow down. And even a big penalty or penalty points won't prevent the team-mate from scoring points."