"Three and three-quarter hours is a bit long to wait"- Alpine sporting director suggests remedy to end confusion over F1 grid penalties

Alpine sporting director Alan Permane has suggested the use of computer software to determine the starting grid after a qualifying session whenever a few drivers are given grid penalties.

Teams, drivers, and spectators were left confused at the Italian Grand Prix qualifying as there were many uncertainties and delays.

The race saw almost half of the drivers serve grid penalties (mostly for changing engine components). Since all the drivers had different penalties, it took almost four hours for F1 to release the provisional grid, costing a lot of time for everyone involved.

After what happened, many believe the FIA and F1 should work together on a possible solution to sort out the starting grid (in a situation like this) as soon as a qualifying session ends.

Addressing the situation, Permane said:

"I do agree that three and three-quarter hours is a bit long to wait for a grid. I think it would be relatively simple for them to publish it as the last car crosses the line, with the proviso it might change after scrutineering or whatever. They could plug all the known penalties into something, and it would be better for everybody."

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Knowing starting grid of a race quickly is a bonus: Alpine sporting director

Alan Permane stated that it would be a "bonus" for teams to get to know the starting grid of a race as soon as they can. The Alpine sporting director said:

"They’re supposed to have a grid published four hours before the start of a race, so anything we get on a Saturday night is a bonus, and they publish a provisional grid. I get it for you guys [the media], it’s important, and it's also important for us to start building our strategies and things like that."

Esteban Ocon had to serve a five-place grid penalty at Monza. However, Alpine are not the only team that have suggested changes in the penalty system.

Scuderia Ferrari's Mattia Binotto also spoke about it recently. The Italian said there are very few engine parts that teams are allowed to use. He added that there should be at least four to five engines that should be allowed without a penalty.

Currently, a driver can use up to three PUs, after which a 10-place grid penalty will be awarded. A five-place penalty will be meted out with every engine being installed after the fourth unit.

For this reason, many drivers have been served penalties, causing chaos on the starting grid.