Yuki Tsunoda started the Italian Grand Prix 10 places back from where he originally qualified on Saturday, after he hit the maximum reprimand limit for driving-related offences.
In what is now his second year in Formula 1, the Japanese driver has struggled to stay off the radar of the stewards but believes he can balance the pressure when in the car.
"Well once in the car I don't I also forget those things, so I don't really care much [about] those things and I didn't feel any pressure," he told media, including RacingNews365.com.
While he has been able to block out any pressure to deliver on track, Tsunoda acknowledges that he needs to work harder to avoid penalties to extract the most for the team in future.
He added: "As soon as I wear the helmet and then driving to the car I always forget those things and that's why I'm able to perform well in the short run, so just have to see and work hard in the long run."
How did Tsunoda rack up five reprimands?
Drivers can earn race bans through poor driving through two methods in F1. The first being through the Super Licence points system, whereby 12 points in a 12 month period leads to a race ban.
Reprimands serve as a way of penalising drivers for offences which aren't necessarily worth a penalty, but act as a caution to warn them not to do it again.
Examples usually range from pit lane infractions to dangerously blocking a driver on a quick lap during practice.
Any driver that receives five gets an automatic grid penalty or at the next event if it's done during a race. At least four reprimands must be driving related.
Below is a look at how Tsunoda earned his grid penalty for the Italian Grand Prix weekend:
Tsunoda reprimands in 2022
| Date | Offence | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 18/3/2022 | Impeding Charles Leclerc during Bahrain Grand Prix FP2. | Driving related |
| 8/4/2022 | Impeding Carlos Sainz during Australian Grand Prix FP2. | Driving related |
| 9/4/2022 | Driving unnecessarily slowly on an in lap during Qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix. | Driving related |
| 17/6/2022 | Impeding Magnussen during Monaco Grand Prix FP2. | Driving related |
| 4/9/2022 | Driving on track in unsafe condition during Dutch Grand Prix. | Non-driving related |
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With confusion reigning for several hours over Max Verstappen's starting position for the Italian Grand Prix, does F1's grid penalty system need revising, and should there be a rule preventing races from ending under the Safety Car?
RacingNews365.com F1 journalists Dieter Rencken and Michael Butterworth discuss the key issues from the Italian Grand Prix.
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F1 2022 Italian Grand Prix RN365 News dossier
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