Michael Masi defends the points system
The Formula 1 Race Director, Michael Masi, defends the points system and believes there is no reason to change it mid-season.
Established in 2014, the points system is similar to a driver’s license. With each offense, drivers receive penalty points and after accumulating 12 points within a year, they face a suspension race.
In seven years of existence, no driver has reached the limit, but some have come close. In 2018, Romain Grosjean was very close to a suspension race, Sebastian Vettel also came within two fingers of it in 2019. This season, Lando Norris is only two points away from exclusion, fortunately for the British driver, he will recover two points at the British Grand Prix.
Last Sunday, during the post-podium press conference, Norris found it unfair to receive two penalty points after squeezing Sergio Perez into the gravel at the Red Bull Ring. The 21-year-old driver even called for a change in the points rule on the Super License and received support from Max Verstappen, who was present by his side.
McLaren’s team principal, Andreas Seidl, has stated that he shares the same opinion as his driver and the leader of the world championship and requests the FIA to change the rule: “From my point of view, a review is needed. I believe we all agree that an exclusion following an incident like the one in the Austrian GP is not the right solution,” he assures.
Race director of Formula 1, Michael Masi has responded to calls from the McLaren team and defended his system. The Australian asserts that it is not possible to make a change during the season and that the teams have already had their say on the penalty system: “It is a points system that exists outside of F1, it is no different from those used in many countries, where motorists have a maximum number of points to adhere to and must adjust their driving style accordingly,” he argues.
« So no, I don’t think the stewards are strict. We discussed this at the end of last year, it involved everyone – the teams, the FIA, and F1 – and the consensus was not to make any changes for 2021. It’s not something we will change in the middle of the year. The teams agreed and had their say on the penalty system that stewards use.
