Symonds to help write 2021 rules

Sep.1 - Pat Symonds has joined a panel tasked with helping to shape the next generation of F1 rules.

The panel has been put together by his old Benetton cohort Ross Brawn, who is now the sport's new sporting boss.

Brawn is looking to reform the controversial system of grid penalties for technical problems, and ultimately to change the car design so that DRS is not necessary.

One idea is that grid penalties in future are replaced by docked championship points.

"Of course I support that," Red Bull's Max Verstappen told Algemeen Dagblad newspaper. "The team or the supplier should be punished, not the driver.

"But I think it should not be points -- just a good fine. A few million or so, so that not delivering a good job hurts them," said the Dutchman at Monza.

To help shape the new rules - particularly for the start of the next 'Concorde' period after 2020 - will be Pat Symonds, who already attends races as a British television pundit.

"The group is currently four people but it will increase to 12," he told Bild newspaper.

"We meet regularly in London and will try to use our experience for the next set of regulations.

"It's a very interesting task," former long-time Renault and Williams technical chief Symonds added at Monza. "And it's great to work with Ross again."

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Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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