Source: REUTERS/ Peter Cziborra
[Saba Sports News] Recently, the FIA updated its sporting regulations, including changes related to penalties during sprint race weekends. Under the previous rules, if a driver retired, the time penalties incurred during the sprint race would no longer be applicable. This situation occurred earlier this season during the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race when Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz collided, resulting in a 10-second penalty for Alonso. After the incident, Alonso chose to retire from the race, thus nullifying his penalty. Clearly, the previous rules had loopholes. However, under the new rules, if a driver chooses to retire to avoid a penalty, it will now result in a grid position drop in the next Grand Prix. Some fans have commented that the new rules will directly impact teams’ enthusiasm for participating in sprint races. Currently, sprint races are almost independent, with their results having little impact on the main race. If the penalties from the sprint race extend to the main race, the rewards from the sprint race should also be extended to the main race.