One of the most discussed topics about the 2023 F1 Austrian GP was the number of drivers who were warned and penalized for track limits. It is bizarre to learn that 18 out of 20 drivers triggered the track limit rule during the main race, while eight of them were handed time penalties for it.
If all four wheels of an F1 car are completely off the tarmac area and are on the kerb (specifically over the white line, which is the starting point of the kerb), then the track limit rule triggers and the stewards give the team a warning.
That warning is then communicated to the drivers. Here is a complete list of drivers based on how many times they were caught going off the track and getting a warning, or worse, a time penalty for it.
All drivers ranked from best to worst based on track limit violations in the 2023 F1 Austrian GP
Zero instances: George Russell and Zhou Guanyu
George Russell and Zhou Guanyu were the only two drivers who did not get any complaints from the stewards regarding the track limits. They drove a clean race and never had all four wheels off the tarmac.
One instance: Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso were only warned once during the race. Other than that, they too drove inside the white lines.
Two instances: Charles Leclerc and Valtteri Bottas
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc and Alfa Romeo driver Valtteri Bottas were warned twice during the Austrian GP.
Three instances: Sergio Perez, Lando Norris, Lance Stroll, Oscar Piastri, and Nico Hulkenberg
Several drivers narrowly missed getting a time penalty for going off the tarmac area.
Since the stewards penalize drivers who violate the track limit rule more than three times, drivers like Lando Norris, Lance Stroll, Oscar Piastri, and Nico Hulkenberg took a sigh of relief after the race as they managed to drive the rest of the race within white lines.
Four instances (five-second penalty): Kevin Magnussen
Kevin Magnussen was, unfortunately, unable to evade the penalty hammer from the stewards as he went over the white line four times. The Danish F1 driver received a five-second penalty, though it did not affect him since he finished last.
Six instances (15-second penalty): Carlos Sainz, Lewis Hamilton, Logan Sargeant, and Nyck de Vries
Carlos Sainz, Lewis Hamilton, Logan Sargeant, and Nyck de Vries were four drivers who got a 15-second penalty for going off the tarmac area six times.
The FIA stated that after five offenses, the drivers’ infringement slate is cleared. This means they would only get another time penalty if they went off three more times.
Seven instances (15-second penalty): Pierre Gasly
Pierre Gasly was the only driver who went off seven times during the 2023 F1 Austrian GP. However, he too received a 15-second penalty.
Nine instances (20-second penalty): Alex Albon and Yuki Tsunoda
Alex Albon and Yuki Tsunoda were simply unable to keep their cars within the white lines and went off nine times, which forced the stewards to had them a 20-second penalty.
Despite such a hefty penalty, both somehow secured their positions.
10 instances (30-second penalty): Esteban Ocon
Esteban Ocon was the only driver to receive a whopping 30-second time penalty during the 2023 F1 Austrian GP. The Alpine driver went off the tarmac 10 times in 71 laps. The stewards had to follow the rulebook and hand him half a minute’s worth of penalties.
He went from P12 to P14 due to that. He also broke the record for receiving the most penalties (four) in a single race, beating Pastor Maldonado’s record (three) in the process.
