Quickie Video script (Patreon)

Hello! I'm putting out a very quick video to explain the weird quali penalties and need to get it out ASAP to be relevant so I'll give you my script now as I'm working on the production to get it out in the next couple of hours

Penalties in Austria (quickie)

1. A lot of people seem confused about the way penalties were applied after the Austrian Qualifying and thus the way the final starting ended up
2. So I thought I’d just do a quickie video to show you what happened and why Hamilton ended up 4th and not fifth even though he qualified second and added a 3 place penalty onto that. It seems like he should have been 5th, right? But no.
3. So after Q3, once everyone had set their times, the initial grid layout was: Leclerc, Hamilton, Verstappen, Bottas, Magnussen, Norris, Raikkonen, Giovinazzi, Gasly and Vettel for your top ten.
4. Magnussen had a looming 5 place gearbox penalty and Hamilton got himself a 3 place blocking penalty during Q1.
5. Now, as we know penalties get applied in order BUT the important thing to note is that gaps in the grid aren’t closed up until after all the penalties have been applied.
6. If the gaps closed up after each applied penalty, then sure: Magnussen would drop from 5th to 10th; everyone would budge up. Then Hamilton would drop from 2nd to 5th. That’s what seems the most obvious thing.
7. But this is Formula One.
8. Instead, Magnussen’s 5 place penalty gets applied. But no one budges up yet.
9. Then, Hamilton’s 3 place penalty get applied. This drops him into the gap let by Magnussen.
10. Then we close everything up and Hamilton is left 4th, between Bottas and Norris.
11. This example is made easier by the fact that Hamilton naturally falls into a gap.
12. Where I’m scratching my head is: what happens if Verstappen got a 3 place penalty and then Hamilton got a three place penalty?
13. Cause Hamilton and Verstappen would end up temporarily 5th and 6th until the budging up phase, so Bottas would move up to 2nd and Magnussen 3rd. But them would it go Hamilton, Norris, Verstappen? Or would both Magnussen and Norris budge up together to make it Magnussen, NOrris, Hamilton, Verstappen? I… am unsure here.
14. To be honest, I think it’s easier to budge everyone up after each penalty is applied so it doesn’t end up… unnecessarily messy.