The F1 fans and the drivers are keenly waiting for the 2022 season to commence. The new season will bring in new rules and regulations such as budget caps, new cars, and new tires. But there is one other change that has caught the eyes of the fans. The sport will allow drivers five infringements before giving them a grid penalty.

FIA, the sport’s governing body, made this change in view of the expanded and long calendar in the 2022 season. Previously, a driver could make three infringements before getting the knock-on effect in the season. But FIA made the change as the three infringements rule was when F1 had 17 races and not 23.

According to Automotorundsport, the three infringements throughout the season in over 20 races meant drivers could easily get grid penalties in the latter half of the season. This would mean that they would be more susceptible to dropping down the field while fighting for the championship. The new rule would come as a sigh of relief for some incident-happy drivers on the grid.

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How many F1 drivers have penalty points before the start of the 2022 season?

As reported by Motorsport, the penalty points from the 2021 season will roll over to the new 2022 season as well. There are some drivers who are very close to getting a race ban in the first half of the season. But the good news for drivers like Yuki Tsunoda, Sergio Perez, and Max Verstappen is that there will be some points that will be dropped before the season opener.

Yuki Tsunoda leads the grid with 8 penalty points while the Red Bull duo of Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen is a close second with 7. Seb Vettel, Nicholas Latifi and Nikita Mazepin have 6.

Lando Norris and Valtteri Bottas accumulated 5 points over the season, while Gasly and Stroll got 3 points. Lewis Hamilton and Alonso have both got two points while Russell and Ocon just have one point to their names.

What is your take on this new system by the FIA?

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