AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly has inched closer to an automatic one race after picking up another superlicence penalty point during the Mexican Grand Prix.
That brings his total for the last 12 months up to ten points. Formula 1 rules state that if a driver accumulates 12 points over the course of a year period, will face a one-race ban.
Gasly will have to avoid that happening until his current penalty points start to expire, but that won't happen until May in 2022, leaving him in a precarious situation.
He's already come perilously close to the ban, with two further penalty points (for a collision with Fernando Alonso in the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix) having 'aged out' just three weeks earlier.
Gasly isn't happy about the situation, and says he wants to meet with the FIA stewards to talk about the situation he finds himself in, having already raised the matter in Friday's driver briefing in Mexico.
“It was not just the penalty points, because obviously I'm quite close to being banned for a race,” he told the media. "In my opinion, I don't feel like I've been that dangerous over the last 12 months.
"It would be a shame to get a race ban for slowing down a bit too much behind the safety car and a couple of track limits this year," he added.
Among the reason for his accumulated penalty points so far have been causing a collision (in Spain and Austria), bollard offenses (Canada), leaving the track on multiple occasions (Austria), speeding under red flag conditions (Japan) and dropping too far behind the safety car (United States).
The latest penalty in Mexico was for leaving the track and gaining an advantage while overtaking Lance Stroll, for which he also received a five second penalty in the race.
But Gasly complained that the stewards didn't tell him at the time, and therefore gave him no opportunity to hand the place back afterwards and avoid the sanction.
“I’m a racing driver, and if I see a gap I will go for the gap,” he told Motorsport.com after the race.
"If you are not happy about it then tell me to give the position back and I will try again. I wasn’t given any comments, so that is a shame.
“They just need to say it on the radio and that is what they have done in the past, but for some reason, not this time.
“They seem to be quite harsh lately,” he continued. “Last weekend half the grid was giving too much space behind the safety car, and I was penalised.
"This weekend I think it was quite tight, and I don’t know why I wasn’t really given a message to give the position back," he said. “At the end of the day I try my best inside the car.
"The last thing I want is to get stupid penalty points and lose race time" he added.
"Apparently at the moment they are not happy with what I’m doing, so I will have a discussion to understand exactly what I have got to change."
Gasly confirmed that he's also pushing for a change to the penalty points system as a whole. "I think they're working on it and probably for next year, there are going to be changes. That's good to hear.”
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