Formula 1 has a problem with penalties for engine problems, which are very unpopular with the fans, who think it is unfair that drivers be sent to the back of the grid because their car had mechanical problems. The system is required to stop the teams from using endless engines, which is what would happen if there was not a serious penalty to be paid. It cannot be financial because some manufacturers would pay anything to get more engines and so for the moment the drivers are suffering. The best way to avoid problems, of course, is to build reliable engines and a huge amount of effort (and money) goes into achieving this. However, failure means grid penalties.
One suggestion that is kicking around at the moment is that drivers should be allowed to start from the position in which they qualified but then they would have to serve their penalty at their first pit stop. This would add an element of strategy (and luck) to the process, but would also add to the racing with drivers chasing through the field to make up for lost time. The number of penalties would in such a case be reduced to a maximum of 30 or 40 seconds, depending on the parts that would be changed, but some of the penalties could be eradicated completely by having standard elements, so that these could be changed whenever required.
Source: JSBL
