A drive-through penalty requires a Formula 1 driver to enter the pit lane and drive through it at the speed limit without stopping, then rejoin the race. It is issued by the stewards as punishment for various on-track rule violations, such as ignoring blue flags or causing a collision. The penalty typically costs around 20–25 seconds in race time because the driver must slow down through the pit lane. It must be served within three laps of being issued.
Example: There’s a drive-through penalty for car number eleven — he’ll lose significant time when he takes that.
A drive-through penalty is different from a pit lane penalty (sometimes called a stop-go penalty), which requires the driver to stop for a set amount of time in their pit box.
See Also: