yo, what if we don't put anything there and let people cut if they really have to.
i see it as a pretty simple view - basically, yes you can gain time cutting on the left, but also run a very high risk of getting damage. obviously you can cut on the right, through the sand, a little bit might be faster, no risk of damage here, but if you cut too much you lose time anyway because the sand slows the car down.
basically you can cut to gain your 0.2 or 0.3x of time, but you also run the risk of getting damage.
that way everybody is happy, admins don't have to decide whether or not to serve out penatlies, and the race would be in jeopardy from drivers making the mistake and paying for it in damage, rather than the admins serving out a DT or a time penalty.
although, for the last corner onto the straight, i think there should be some cones or poles there, because you can cut straight over that and get bugger all damage.
edit: that's for the race. for qual i think you should have poles on cuttable areas so it's fair for everyone and noone says "oh i cut but he cut another 10mm further than me that's unfair" kinda thing