Every year, Formula 1 teams face a major challenge: to make their single-seater last until the end of the season. With Grand Prix races of nearly 300km almost every week, it’s a huge technical challenge for the teams. Currently, technological innovations do not allow for optimal performance over such a long period. To address this issue, Formula 1 teams are allowed to change components on their single-seater during the year.
However, the FIA has imposed limits on the number of modifications allowed on the car. With several accidents during the season, it is not uncommon for teams to be forced to endure a penalty for exceeding it.
Very strict rules
In Formula 1, the regulations imposed by the FIA aim to reduce the costs and carbon footprint of the sport. Unfortunately, with many possible changes allowed on the cars, it is difficult to maintain this objective. Just a few decades ago, shortly before the 2010s, teams were allowed to change components as many times as they wanted. Sometimes, certain teams could even change the same component twice in a row during the same Grand Prix.
It was not until 2004 that the single engine rule was introduced on the same race weekend. And it was only in 2009 that Formula 1 saw its first engine limit. At that time, 20 engines were allowed in a season, including 4 specifically for Free Practice. Now, the rules are much stricter, with components generally not exceeding the maximum of 4 allowed changes. This initiative forces teams to produce more durable engines, thus limiting the ecological impact.
However, despite a regulation put in place after consultation with the teams, it is not uncommon for teams to face these sanctions. This is also the case in 2024 which has seen six drivers receive penalties in this first part of the season.
Pilots penalized up to now
As half of the season has just ended, several drivers have already suffered from these sanctions at the beginning of the year. The triple world champion, Max Verstappen, is one of those who have been victims of them. During the race at Spa-Francorchamps, a fifth engine was installed on his car whereas the limit had been set at 4 in 2024. Before the race, he had received a 10-place grid penalty, causing him to start from eleventh position. In the end, he managed to climb back and secure fourth place in the Belgian Grand Prix.
His teammate, Sergio Pérez has also exceeded the limit on certain components. Him, who has changed his engine unit 5 times, is also responsible for a third change of his battery and electronic controls. The last two components mentioned are limited to two changes per season, which has resulted in penalty places for him. Luckily, Red Bull chose to change these parts when he had finished last in the qualifying session at Silverstone. Therefore, the modifications had no impact on his race.
Another Red Bull driver, or rather from the Red Bull junior team, was penalized with loss of positions. Yuki Tsunoda, racing for Racing Bulls, changed the entire engine block at Spa-Francorchamps. This change is the result of an accident he had in Hungary, during the Grand Prix that took place the previous week. For this replacement, he received a 60-place grid penalty, which made him start at the back of the grid in Belgium.
Valtteri Bottas, currently with no points with the Stake F1 team, was the first driver to receive a penalty related to the engine this season. During the ninth race in Canada, the Sauber team installed a third battery and a third electronic control unit in his car. As this happened after the qualifying session, the Finnish driver had to start the race from the pit lane.
As for him, Thai driver Alexander Albon experienced a fate similar to that of the Finn in Spain. His team made an identical change for the third time as well since the beginning of the season. He therefore started the race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from the pit lane.
The last driver to incur a penalty this year is one of the two French drivers on the grid. Pierre Gasly, like his former teammate Yuki Tsunoda, changed his entire power unit. Unlike the Japanese driver, the changes were made over two races. He had received a first penalty at Silverstone, which had relegated him to last position. One race later in Hungary, another change forced him to start his race from the pit lane. In this Grand Prix, the team had replaced his battery.
With many changes already made, we can expect new sanctions by the end of the season. This time, a large part of the teams should face penalties as they slowly approach their quota.
