Penalties and their effectiveness.

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

chilli, there is a penalty to the team that kicks a ball over the line because the opposing team then gets control of the ball; that's the penalty. In soccer, a team will be given a free kick if the opposing team member handles the ball, even if it was unintentional.

There are loads of rules in all forms of sport for even the most minor of infractions; just for example, if a sprinter strays out of his lane by just a few millimetres, he or she will be automatically disqualified, even if he/she doesn't impede a fellow competitor.

well yes and in fairness thats exactly my point!

there needs to be loads of rules precisely because not every infraction/cheating is the same as every other form of infraction/cheating!

this has to be true otherwise there would only ever need be one penalty for everything.

and i am certainly not saying that there should be no penalties. rather i simply think the punishment should fit the crime.

and to that point...

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

Bj, I would suggest that the drivers get only one warning and the next time, even if it happens at a different part of the circuit, the driver is given an automatic drive through. If further transgressions happen, the driver has to take a stop and go at the end of the pits without stopping at their garage for tyres for say 10 seconds and that stop time increases if it happens again.

If the track limit abuse happens on the penultimate or last lap, then a time equivalent of a drive through, or stop and go, to be added to the finishing time of the driver.

I would like to think that the team bosses would stop their drivers abusing limits after they see just one driver from any of the teams receiving this penalty.

this would be a reasonable, progressive, and incremental extension to the system currently in place. to me that makes sense.

also, i love you guys!