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FIA to push for superlicence penalty point system

Charlie Whiting would like to see a penalty point system on superlicences © Sutton Images

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The FIA is keen to create a penalty points system for driver's superlicences that could see them suspended from races for persistent rule breaking.

Stewards currently have the option of handing down several types of penalties, including race bans, but apart from the reprimand system they are not cumulative. If a driver receives three reprimands over the course of a season he will get a ten-place penalty, but the FIA wants to take the penalty system further to issue points on a driver's superlicence that could ultimately result in a ban.

"We would like to see a system, and indeed we will discuss it with the teams next Wednesday in Brazil, that will be similar to the sort of thing you have with your road licence," FIA race director Charlie Whiting explained. "You'll accumulate points on your superlicence and if you get to 12, or whatever the number is, you will have a race off. That's the sort of thing that we will discuss.

Whiting explained that different misdemeanours would carry different points penalties.

"You will accrue points for all sorts of penalties, whereas at the moment if you have a reprimand for being late to a press conference or a drivers' parade that wouldn't lead to a grid penalty - it's got to be driving infringements . I think if we looked at the superlicence approach - whether it be one point for one thing and two for another - they would all count. That's something we would like to see but that's probably not simple, but nothing in Formula One is really."

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