2020 Russian GP - Sochi

[Nitrodaze]

But if the stewards had indeed waited until after the race, and then handed out a time penalty, then Mercedes would - and rightly so - be the first to complain that they didn't have a chance to react during the race by building a larger gap.

And I think we have seen in-race penalties for pre-race infractions before, like mechanics failing to clear the grid in time or drivers leaving a closed pit lane.

Actually, on the contrary. Mercedes and Hamilton would have been better placed to present evidence in defence of the decision to do a practise start where they did. If any penalty was due, they would have been given the appropriate level of punishment which nobody would have disputed. Whatever that was, is what it would have been.

The sort of infractions that you discribed are all in the regulations and the regulation stipulate exactly how they should be handled.