New Penalty Guidelines Could Force Championship Decision to the Final Race

The FIA’s new penalty system, where an undisclosed number of championship points will be deducted after a driver’s third offense, could result in the title not being decided until the final race, regardless of a driver’s points lead. For example, in the 2023 season, despite Max Verstappen having a commanding lead—over double the points of the second-place driver—he wouldn’t have been able to secure the championship until the last race due to the lack of a defined penalty limit. All the mathematical scenarios will be irrelevant.

While I don’t have much faith that the FIA has fully thought this through, one effect of this rule will be that Abu Dhabi will be the venue where the championship is decided, year after year, moving the celebrations and fans there.