F1: Gasly close to receiving a 1-race ban

F1 driver Pierre Gasly is close to receiving a ban no driver in the sport has previously been handed. As is the case with normal drivers, those in F1 are issued penalty points for any issues or mistakes.

The rules state that if a driver accumulates more than 12 points over the course of a 12-month period, they will be punished with a one race ban. The AlphaTauri driver currently has nine points on his license and is potentially just one incident away from hitting the dreaded 12-point mark.

The AlphaTauri driver was given two penalty points and a five-second time penalty for falling more than 10 car lengths behind the cars in front during the Safety Car period at the US Grand Prix this past weekend. The 25-year-old was given his first two penalty points of the season back in Spain following a crash with Lance Stroll.

Back in July, Gasly’s number of penalty points increased to five for the season after a crash with Sebastian Vettel and exceeding track limits. Earlier this month, the driver fell foul of the penalty system once again for speeding under the safety car at the Japanese GP. Four other drivers were handed penalties following a chaotic US GP in Austin, Texas this past Sunday.

Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll got two penalty points for his part in the crash with Fernando Alonso, while George Russell of Mercedes got two for his mistake in the incident with Carlos Sainz on lap one. Mick Schumacher exceeded the track limits several times and was credited with one penalty point as a result, while Nicolas Latifi was also slapped with a penalty after causing a collision.

Alex Albon also picked up one penalty point ‘leaving the track and gaining an advantage’. Gasly went on to finish 13th in the States and sits 14th in the drivers standings.