Alpine driver Jack Doohan had a challenging weekend at the Chinese Grand Prix, accumulating four penalty points on his super licence across the sprint race and the Grand Prix itself.
While the Australian finished 20th in the sprint and 13th in the main race, Doohan left the Shanghai International Circuit without championship points but with a handful of penalties instead.
What are penalty points?
Penalty points are issued by the FIA to drivers who commit infractions during races, serving as a disciplinary measure to encourage safer and fairer competition. These points accumulate on a driver’s super licence, and if a driver reaches 12 points within a 12-month period, they receive an automatic race ban.
The severity of each penalty varies depending on the nature of the offence, with points typically being awarded for incidents such as causing collisions, dangerous driving, or forcing other drivers off track. This system ensures accountability and reinforces adherence to racing regulations across the grid.
Sprint Race incident: collision with Gabriel Bortoleto
Doohan’s troubles began in the sprint race when he was penalised for a collision with Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto. The incident, which breached Appendix L, Chapter IV, Article 2 d) of the FIA International Sporting Code, earned him a 10-second time penalty and two penalty points.
The stewards determined that Doohan had attempted to overtake Bortoleto on the inside of Turn 14 but misjudged the move, locking up at the apex and making contact with the Sauber. Their official statement explained:
“DOO [Doohan] suggested that he was in control of the overtake but the presence of the two Haas cars and the line they took compromised his overtake attempt.
“First, as the car attempting to overtake, the responsibility was on DOO to ensure that it was done in a safe manner and in line with the regulations and the guidelines.
“Secondly, applying the Driving Standards Guidelines, DOO did not have the right to the corner at the apex and should have backed off – here, because of the speed at which he approached the corner for the overtake and the resulting lockup and understeer, a collision was caused, for which DOO was predominantly to blame.”
Grand Prix incident: Forcing Isack Hadjar off track
Doohan’s second penalty of the weekend came during the Grand Prix when he was found guilty of forcing Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar off the track, in violation of Appendix L, Chapter IV, Article 2 b) of the International Sporting Code.
In a battle at Turn 14, Doohan tried to reclaim his position from Hadjar, who had overtaken him earlier in the approach to the corner. However, Doohan lost control, locked up, and ultimately forced the Racing Bulls driver off the track. The stewards’ report stated:
“Car 7 (DOO) was overtaken by Car 6 (HAD) in the run up to Turn 14 and in trying to take the position back on the inside, DOO lost control, locked up and forced HAD off the track. We accordingly imposed a 10 second time penalty with 2 penalty points which is in keeping with the guidelines for forcing a driver off the track.”
Looking ahead to Japan
Following a frustrating weekend in Shanghai, Doohan will be looking to bounce back at the Japanese Grand Prix, which marks the start of the first triple-header of the 2025 season in two weeks’ time.
