Drivers are handed penalty points in addition to sporting penalties if the stewards deem an incident necessary, with an accumulation of 12 points over a 12-month rolling period resulting in a race ban.
Kevin Magnussen’s recent spate of punishments has seen the Haas driver move perilously close to that mark, with 10 points to his name – the latest of which were added after the Miami Grand Prix.
But the application of points across varying types of penalty has raised concern amongst drivers.
Asked by Motorsport.com whether he felt the penalty points system needs changing, Sargeant replied: “I think mine [in China] was extremely frustrating.
“The penalty is one thing. To get penalty points for what it was, was a bit of a joke. I think a lot worse things happen throughout the weekend that you just get reprimanded for.
Logan Sargeant, Williams FW46
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
“I’ve had people in qualifying slow down in front of me, nearly have huge crashes, and nothing happens. But then when I cross the line at the same time as someone else and you can’t even see it, you get two penalty points and I think it’s not a great direction to be heading in.”
Giving his response, the Red Bull driver explained: “I think that already the penalties, sometimes you already pay the consequences for that and to add some penalty points, and given that we have now more races, it’s something that definitely should be looked at.
“Every incident, if you see all the points that every driver gets, there are a lot of points that are probably over the line, but the rule is there.
“But hopefully, in the future, it’s something that can be reviewed.”
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
