Three Drivers Fall Down The Grid After Receiving Penalty Following Qualification In Sao Paulo

Mercedes and Alpine F1 drivers George Russell, Esteban Ocon, and Pierre Gasly received a penalty following incidents at the end of the pit lane.

A new rule has been introduced for the 2023 Sao Paulo Grand Prix after multiple complaints from drivers following the Qualification in Mexico City.

There was a problem with traffic jams at the end of the pitlane as each driver wanted to wait before getting on with their preparation lap in order to have the perfect time window for the driver in front.

The new rule said drivers can wait at the end of the pitlane but have to position their cars as much to the left as possible so that drivers who do not want to wait can overtake them and get on with their laps.

Even though the rules seem clear enough, George Russell, Esteban Ocon, and Pierre Gasly have already managed to break them. As FIA documents from the stewards detail, they were "not as far to the left as possible."

The three drivers were summoned to the stewards after the session to see if they could justify their actions, however, they all received a 2-position grid penalty.

This means that George Russell, who qualified in sixth place, will start from eighth. He was supposed to start alongside his teammate Lewis Hamilton but will be replaced by Lando Norris from the seventh place.

Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly will be even more upset as they weren't where they would hope to be even before the grid position penalties are accounted for.

Instead of starting from the 12th and 13th place on the grid, the Alpine drivers will have to start from P14 and P15, letting Kevin Magnussen and Alex Albon in front of them.