In an F1 race, stewards have various means to penalize drivers who violate rules. Drivers may face time penalties, monetary fines, and official warnings for events such as collisions or exceeding speed limits in the pit lane. Additionally, the stewards can assign penalty points which accumulate on a driver’s super licence.
The penalty points system was brought in as a way of monitoring the behaviour of F1 drivers over the course of a season. When drivers are penalised with penalty points, they’re monitored through their superlicence and if a racer picks up 12 or more in the space of a 12-month period then they are handed a one-race ban.
Former Haas racer
Kevin Magnussen
The most recent Formula 1 driver to face a race ban accumulated 12 penalty points before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. As a result, he missed the race and was substituted by another driver.
Oliver Bearman
for the grand prix.
Could any other drivers currently competing face a similarly unfortunate situation?
Max Verstappen
– eight points
Red Bull ace
Max Verstappen
Currently topping the list with penalty points, he accumulated eight after the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix. Additional penalties were then imposed during competitions in Mexico, Brazil, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi.
Verstappen received points for causing a crash after colliding with another car during his time driving for Red Bull.
Mclaren
of
Lando Norris
In last year’s Austrian Grand Prix, he secured an additional two points four months later during the race in Mexico. On thatoccasion, the Dutch driver was observed forcing Norris off course.
McLaren
A driver tried to make a pass around the outside at Turn 4.
Max Verstappen with Red Bull Racing RB20, Lando Norris with McLaren MCL38
Photo credit: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
One week after the initial incident, Verstappen received a penalty for speeding under virtual safety car conditions, resulting in his fifth penalty point. In contrast, Verstappen faced a different problem in Qatar when he was issued one penalty point for deliberately slowing down excessively during his cool-down lap in the qualification round of the Grand Prix.
The decisive points needed for Verstappen’s license were secured during the 2024 season finale in Abu Dhabi. In the course of this Grand Prix, the Red Bull racer had a collision with the McLaren driver.
Oscar Piastri
While trying a bold move up the inside at Turn 1, the two vehicles collided. The officials determined that Verstappen was at fault since he “didn’t manage to get sufficiently beside” the other car.
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2 |
Austrian grand Prix |
30 June 2025 |
Causing a collision |
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2 |
Mexican Grand Prix |
27 October 2025 |
Causing another driver to lose their lane position deliberately |
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1 |
Brazilian Grand Prix |
2 November 2025 |
Virtual safety car infringement |
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1 |
Qatar Grand Prix |
30 November 2025 |
Driving unnecessarily slowly |
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2 |
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix |
8 December 2025 |
Causing a collision |
Liam Lawson
– five points
Even though he has participated in just 15 grand prix events,
Racing Bulls
driver
Liam Lawson
Has the second-highest number of penalty points on the grid. The Kiwi earned his initial points at last year’s Qatar Grand Prix, followed by an additional three at the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix.
All five of Lawson’s penalty points were issued due to incidents where he caused crashes involving other drivers. The New Zealander received his initial two points from the stewards after they ruled him responsible for a collision with another driver.
Valtteri Bottas
On lap 1 of the race in Qatar.
When Formula 1 competed in Bahrain earlier in the season, Lawson secured an additional three points. He received one point following the incident where he hit the back of the Racing Bulls driver during a crash.
Lance Stroll
was driving an Aston Martin. In just 15 minutes, Lawson tried to overtake Turn 1 from the inside to make a move on
Nico Hulkenberg
but crashed with the
Sauber
The driver was at fault during the incident. Investigators examining the accident placed full responsibility on Lawson.
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2 |
Qatar Grand Prix |
1 December 2025 |
Causing a collision |
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1 |
Bahrain Grand Prix |
13 April 2025 |
Causing a collision |
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2 |
Bahrain Grand prix |
13 April 2025 |
Causing a collision |
Oscar Piastri
– four points
Oscar Piastri, who currently leads the Formula 1 championship, holds only four points on his license. He earned his initial two points during last year’s event in Brazil. The talented young driver from Australia received an additional pair of penalties at the concluding race in Abu Dhabi.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Photo credit: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images
During the race in Brazil, Piastri received two penalty points and a 10-second time penalty when his attempt to make an inside move on Liam Lawson led to the Australian colliding with the New Zealander at Turn 1. The stewards determined that Piastri was “completely responsible for the crash.”
A month later, Piastri found himself once again in hot water with the stewards following a collision.
Williams
driver
Franco Colapinto
During the last race of the season, Piastri apparently “miscalculated the position of the cars ahead” and applied his brakes too late when approaching Turn 6 at Yas Marina. Consequently, he collided with Colapinto’s car, which eventually led to Colapinto withdrawing from the competition.
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2 |
Brazilian Grand Prix |
3 November 2025 |
Causing a collision |
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2 |
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix |
8 December 2025 |
Causing a collision |
Nico Hulkenberg
– four points
Sauber
Driver Nico Hulkenberg has accumulated four penalty points on his super licence due to infractions in Austria and Italy during the 2024 season.
The Germans initially earned their points in the sprint race when they were penalized for forcing an Aston Martin driven by Sebastian Vettel.
Fernando Alonso
The conclusion came about when Hulkenberghad tried to overtake Alonso heading into Turn 3, but he locked his brakes and failed to reach the apex of the turn. This caused the Haas racer to understeer and veer off course, preventing Alonso from navigating the corner effectively and forcing him completely off the racing line.
When Formula 1 came back to Monza a few months later, Hulkenberg secured an additional two points along with a 10-second time penalty due to a comparable spin-out. The German spun his tires entering Turn 1 at the Italian circuit and ended up colliding.
Yuki Tsunoda
, which concluded the Japanese driver’s competition.
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2 |
Austrian Grand Prix |
29 June 2025 |
Causing another driver to lose their position on the track |
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2 |
Italian Grand Prix |
1 September 2025 |
Causing a collision |
Jack Doohan
– four points
Alpine
rookie
Jack Doohan
Has nearly as many penalty points as he does race starts, currently accumulating four points across his six Formula 1 grands prix entries. Doohan garnered these four points from two separate incidents during this year’s Chinese Grand Prix weekend.
Doohan secured his initial points in Formula 1 during the sprint race when he was deemed responsible for a collision with the Sauber driver.
Gabriel Bortoleto
The duo collided at Turn 14 as Doohan tried to make a pass but ended up locking his brakes and experiencing understeer, slamming into the Sauber. This resulted in a 10-second penalty for Doohan along with demerit points added to his license.
The following day, Doohan received the identical punishment when it was determined that he had lost control and skidded while trying to overtake the Racing Bulls driver.
Isack Hadjar
at Turn 14.
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2 |
Chinese Grand Prix |
22 March 2026 |
Causing a collision |
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2 |
Chinese Grand Prix |
23 March 2026 |
Causing another driver to lose their position on the track |
Lando Norris
– three points
During a single incident, McLaren racer Lando Norris accumulated all three of his penalty points, resulting in the strictest sanction imposed on any driver currently competing.
The penalties were imposed on Norris during the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix because he did not decrease his speed despite seeing double-waved yellow flags indicating caution on the circuit. The stewards examined information from the marshaling system, videos, timing records, and telemetry data before determining that Norris had ignored these warnings due to debris on the track. In addition to receiving three demerit points, Norris also faced a 10-second time penalty within the same race.
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3 |
Qatar Grand Prix |
1 December 2025 |
Failing to slow under double waved yellow flags |
Esteban Ocon
– three points
Esteban Ocon, who drives for Haas, currently holds three points, but if he avoids further penalties in Miami, this number will drop to two.
Pierre Gasly with the Alpine A524, followed by Esteban Ocon also driving an Alpine A524, then Lance Stroll in his Aston Martin AMR24; all others started behind them.
Photo credit: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Ocon received one penalty point for an unsafe pit release during the previous year’s Miami Grand Prix. His second violation occurred only a few weeks afterward when he was deemed responsible for causing a crash in the Monaco Grand Prix. At that time, the Haas driver—then still with his current team—was involved in this incident.
Alpine
He collided with his teammate.
Pierre Gasly
In the principality, the two collided during the opening lap. While Gasly managed to score points in Monaco, this incident led to Ocon’s retirement from the race.
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1 |
Miami Grand Prix |
4 May 2025 |
Unsafe release |
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2 |
Monaco Grand Prix |
26 May 2025 |
Causing a collision |
Carlos Sainz
– three points
Carlos Sainz has become the third driver to accumulate only three points on his license after receiving penalties at two Grand Prix events within the past year. The initial point set to vanish when he competes again in Miami will be removed since he was penalized for triggering a crash during the previous year’s event.
During his last season with
Ferrari
Sainz received one point and a five-second time penalty for triggering a collision with Piastri’s McLaren. The incident occurred when Sainz reportedly lost control of his SF-24, resulting in contact with Piastri’s vehicle, leading stewards to hold him responsible for the accident.
Previously this season, Sainz faced issues with the stewards in Bahrain and received two penalties along with a 10-second sanction for causing an incident.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli
away from the track. The stewards determined that Sainz had locked up when approaching Turn 10 in Bahrain, causing him to understeer “into Car 12, losing the line and pushing Car 12 off the track.”
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1 |
Miami Grand Prix |
4 May 2025 |
Causing a collision |
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2 |
Bahrain Grand Prix |
13 March 2026 |
Forcing another driver off the track |
Oliver Bearman
– two points
Following an illness that felled Haas driver
Kevin Magnussen
Last year, Oliver Bearman had an additional opportunity to drive for Haas, during which he earned his first Super Licence penalty points accordingly.
At the 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix, Bearman joined forces with
Williams
driver
Franco Colapinto
The Haas driver collided with the back of Colapinto’s vehicle and was deemed “entirely” responsible by the officials. Consequently, he received two penalty points and a 10-second time penalty during the event.
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2 |
Brazilian Grand Prix |
3 November 2025 |
Causing a collision |
Alexander Albon – two points
Williams racer
Alex Albon
accumulated his two penalty points at last year’s Qatar Grand Prix. The steward determined that the Thai racer initiated contact with Kevin Magnussen’s Haas vehicle. This accident happened when Albon lost control exiting the turn and tried to regain stability but ended up colliding with Magnussen. Afterward, Albon admitted responsibility for the crash, stating it was “his fault.”
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2 |
Qatar Grand Prix |
1 December 2025 |
Causing a collision |
Fernando Alonso
– two points
Seasoned driver Fernando Alonso has experienced a rather subdued period recently, scoring only two points at last year’s Austrian Grand Prix and failing to add any more points over the next 18 grand prix events.
Fernando Alonso, from the Aston Martin F1 Team, addresses the press.
Photo credit: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Last June, when Alonso was competing against the Sauber driver,
Zhou Guanyu
Around the Red Bull Ring, the Spaniard tried a “very late overtaking move” into the inside of Turn 3 but was never able to establish a proper position for the lead, according to the stewards’ decision.
When they crashed into each other at the turn, Alonso was determined to be responsible for the accident, resulting in him receiving two penalty points and a 10-second time penalty.
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2 |
Austrian Grand Prix |
30 June 2025 |
Causing a collision |
Lance Stroll
– two points
Fernando Alonso’s teammate at Aston Martin, Lance Stroll, similarly holds two penalty points on his super licence. During the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix, Stroll received these points after being deemed responsible for an incident with Alex Albon. At Turn 4, Stroll hit the curb, causing his vehicle to lose stability and collide with the side of Albon’s Williams.
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2 |
Qatar Grand Prix |
1 December 2025 |
Causing a collision |
George Russell
– one point
Except for the seven drivers who haven’t accumulated any penalty points so far,
Mercedes
Driver George Russell currently holds the lowest number of points on his super licence.
In the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix, Russell incurred a penalty for not keeping an adequate gap behind the safety car. During the event, he lagged over 125 meters behind the safety car, exceeding the required 20-car-length rule set forth for drivers. Consequently, he faced a five-second sanction and received one point on his superlicence.
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1 |
Qatar Grand Prix |
1 December 2025 |
Not keeping enough space behind the safety car resulted in issues. |
F1 driver penalty points
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8 |
Max Verstappen |
Red Bull |
30 June 2025 |
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5 |
Liam Lawson |
Racing Bulls |
1 December 2025 |
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4 |
Oscar Piastri |
Mclaren |
3 November 2025 |
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4 |
Nico Hulkenberg |
Sauber |
29 June 2025 |
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4 |
Jack Doohan |
Alpine |
22 March 2026 |
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3 |
Lando Norris |
McLaren |
1 December 2025 |
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3 |
Esteban Ocon |
Haas |
4 May 2025 |
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3 |
Carlos Sainz |
Williams |
5 May 2025 |
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2 |
Oliver Bearman |
Haas |
3 November 2025 |
|
2 |
Alexander Albon |
Williams |
1 December 2025 |
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2 |
Fernando Alonso |
Aston Martin |
30 June 2025 |
|
2 |
Lance Stroll |
Aston Martin |
1 December 2025 |
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1 |
George Russell |
Mercedes |
1 December 2025 |
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0 |
Yuki Tsunoda |
Red Bull |
– |
|
0 |
Isack Hadjar |
Racing Bulls |
– |
|
0 |
Garbiel Bortoleto |
Sauber |
– |
|
0 |
Pierre Gasly |
Alpine |
– |
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0 |
Lewis Hamilton |
Ferrari |
– |
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0 |
Charles Leclerc |
Ferrari |
– |
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0 |
Andrea Kimi Antonelli |
Mercedes |
– |
