Pierre Gasly will presumably be on his best behaviour in the opening rounds of the 2023 season, unless he wants to give Alpine a huge headache.
Following a turbulent 2022 season, Gasly has astonishingly acclaimed 10 penalty points, meaning the Frenchman is just two away from a not-needed race ban.
Since the system was introduced in 2014, no driver has ever amassed 12 points, the amount necessary to invoke a race ban.
Given that he will be wanting to make the best start possible with Alpine, the Frenchman is certainly in a difficult position.
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Should Gasly push to the limit in the first few races of 2023, then he will put himself at risk of a penalty points-worthy incident, something which will likely result in Alpine fielding academy driver Jack Doohan.
Each point awarded lasts for 12 months, meaning it is removed from a driver’s tally a year after it was awarded.
Based on the current system, Gasly’s total isn’t set to decrease until May, meaning he’ll need to complete seven races without an incident.
The 26-year-old is frustrated by the current system due to believing that he’s not a “silly” or “dangerous driver”, with him predicting that “four or five” drivers are also at risk.
“I try not to think about that because I don’t see myself as a silly driver or dangerous driver,” he told reporters.
“I really hope we can have a review of the old system over winter because I believe I’m not going to be the only one in trouble if we keep it that way.
“It will be a shame to see four or five racing drivers banned for a race and having a championship with some guys missing out on a race.”
Gasly would like to see the system adjusted due to there being more races now than there were when the system was introduced.
With that in mind, the Grand Prix Drivers Association have supposedly discussed the system several times, with Alpine’s newest driver believing it makes sense to increase the number of points that are needed to be slapped with a race ban.
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“We talk about it all the time and some guys are only four points away with 24 races and six Sprint’s next year,” added Gasly.
“When it was introduced we had only 19 or 20 races, so clearly it would make sense to [allow] more points on this license.
“But I believe the FIA will look into this and find solutions to make it more fair for everyone.”