F1 driver penalty points after Max Verstappen's Spanish Grand Prix incident

Yahoo

2 days ago

After a thrilling Formula 1 triple-header, the grid has a chance to catch their collective breath before the next race weekend, the Canadian Grand Prix.
And one driver has a chance to collect themselves after an eventful Spanish Grand Prix, a race that now has them at risk of a one-race suspension.
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Max Verstappen was given both a ten-second penalty, and three penalty points, for an incident in the closing chapter of the Spanish Grand Prix. After being instructed by his team to give a place back to George Russell, Verstappen slowed down to let the Mercedes driver pass him, only to accelerate into Russell through a corner. Race officials handed down both a ten-second penalty and the penalty points after the race, putting Verstappen on the cusp of a suspension.
Here are the current penalty points for the entire F1 grid, starting with Verstappen.
What are FIA penalty points?
Similar to your road driver's license, F1 drivers operate under an FIA Super License, which they can obtain based on results in the lower categories.
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In an effort to promote safety on the track, and keep the drivers in line, penalty points on said Super License are among the potential penalties race stewards can hand out for infractions. Penalty points are reserved for the more severe incidents, such as causing an accident or violating rules regarding yellow and/or red flags.
If a driver reaches 12 penalty points on their FIA Super License over a single calendar year period, they are hit with a one-race penalty ban. Last season Kevin Magnussen missed the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after accumulating enough penalty points to trigger the one-race ban at the previous race, the Italian Grand Prix.
Penalty points remain on a driver's Super License for one calendar year, after which they expire.
What F1 drivers currently have penalty points?
As the F1 schedule shifts into summer, several drivers have penalty points on their FIA Super License.
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One of those drivers is the reigning Drivers' Champion, and the driver most at risk of a one-race ban.
Note: Penalties are listed from oldest to newest.
Max Verstappen
11 penalty points
Max Verstappen is chasing his fifth consecutive F1 Drivers' Championship, but at the moment he is just one penalty point away from a one-race suspension. His oldest penalty points, received for a collision with Lando Norris at the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix, expire on June 30, 2025. That means Verstappen has to navigate the Canadian Grand Prix and the Austrian Grand Prix without incident to avoid a suspension.
Two points: Verstappen's two oldest penalty points expire on June 30, 2025. These were handed down when race officials determined that Verstappen caused a collision with Lando Norris at the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix.
Two points: Verstappen picked up two more points at the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix, when race officials ruled he forced Lando Norris off the track. Those expire on October 27, 2025.
One point: Verstappen was given a one-point penalty at the 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix, when he was below the minimum delta during a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) during the F1 Sprint Race. That point expires on November 1, 2025.
One point: Verstappen was assessed a one-point penalty at the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix when race officials determined he was driving unnecessarily slowly on the cooldown lap. That penalty point expires on December 1, 2025.
Two points: Verstappen collided with Oscar Piastri on the opening lap of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and was hit with a two-point penalty. That expires on December 8, 2025.
Three points: Verstappen was given a three-point penalty for causing a collision with George Russell during the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix. Those expire on June 1, 2026.
Liam Lawson
Six penalty points
Liam Lawson began the year as Verstappen's teammate at Red Bull, but was dropped to Visa Cash App Racing Bulls after an ineffective start to the season.
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He has also picked up some penalties along the way.
Two points: Lawson was given a two-point penalty for causing a collision with Valtteri Bottas during the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix. Those points expire on December 1, 2025.
One point: Lawson was given a one-point penalty for causing a collision with Lance Stroll at the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix. That expires on April 13, 2026.
Two Points: Lawson also picked up another penalty at the Bahrain Grand Prix, this for two points, for causing a collision with Nico Hülkenberg. Those also expire on April 13, 2026.
One Point: Lawson was given a one-point penalty for causing a collision with Fernando Alonso during the 2025 Miami Grand Prix.
Nico Hülkenberg
Four penalty points
Veteran driver Nico Hülkenberg is coming off a stunning fifth-place finish at the Spanish Grand Prix, and is set to see his oldest penalty points expire later this month.
Two points: Hülkenberg was given a two-point penalty at the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix for causing a collision with Fernando Alonso. Those points expire on June 30, 2025.
Two points: Hülkenberg was assessed a two-point penalty for causing a collision with Yuki Tsunoda at the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix. Those expire on December 1, 2025.
Oscar Piastri
Four penalty points
Oscar Piastri currently leads the F1 Drivers' Championship race, but does have four penalty points on his FIA Super License.
Two points: Piastri was hit with two penalty points when race officials ruled he caused a collision with Liam Lawson during the 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix. Those points expire on November 2, 2025.
Two points: Piastri was also judged to have caused a collision with Franco Colapinto during the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and given a two-point penalty. Those points expire on December 8, 2025.
Oliver Bearman
Four penalty points
Rookie Oliver Bearman began the year with two points on his FIA Super License, but has doubled that thanks to an incident at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Two points: Bearman was given a two-point penalty for causing a collision with Franco Colapinto during the 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix. Those points expire on November 2, 2025.
Two points: Bearman was given a two-point penalty for overtaking Carlos Sainz Jr. under red-flag conditions during practice at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Lance Stroll
Three penalty points
Lance Stroll began the year with four penalty points, two of which expired in April. However, he picked up another point this year after an incident in FP1 at the Monaco Grand Prix, and is also dealing with an injury that caused him to withdraw from the Spanish Grand Prix.
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Two points: Stroll was also hit with a two-point penalty for causing a collision with Alexander Albon at the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix. Those two points expire on December 1, 2025.
One point: Stroll was given a one-point penalty after FP1 at the Monaco Grand Prix after a collision with Charles Leclerc.
Lando Norris
Three penalty points
Lando Norris still has three points on his FIA Super License from an incident during last season's Qatar Grand Prix.
Three points: Race officials ruled that Norris failed to slow down for a double yellow flag during the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix. In addition to a ten-second penalty — which dropped him out of P2 to the back of the field, although he recovered to finish tenth — he was given a three-point penalty. Those three points expire on December 1, 2025.
Fernando Alonso
Two penalty points
Fernando Alonso began the year with eight points on his FIA Super License, but six of those have now expired. He only has two left on his Super License, which expire later this month.
Two points: Alonso was ruled to have caused a collision with Zhou Guanyu at the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix, and given a two-point penalty. Those points expire on June 30, 2025.
Alexander Albon
Two penalty points
Two points: Alexander Albon was given a two-point penalty at the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix, when race officials ruled he caused a collision with Kevin Magnussen. Those points expire on December 1, 2025.
Carlos Sainz Jr.
Two penalty points
Albon's new Williams teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. began the year with one penalty point, which expired at the beginning of May. However, he picked up two more this season, so he currently sits on two penalty points.
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Two points: Sainz was given a two-point penalty in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix for an incident involving Kimi Antonelli, where he was judged to have forced the Mercedes rookie off the track.
Franco Colapinto
Two penalty points
Franco Colapinto replaced Logan Sargeant midway through the 2024 campaign, and picked up a pair of penalty points last season. He is back in the car as another mid-season replacement, this time at Alpine.
Two points: Colapinto was given a two-point penalty at the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix for causing a collision with Liam Lawson. Those points expire on October 27, 2025.
George Russell
One penalty point
Mercedes driver George Russell still has one penalty point on his FIA Super License from last season.
One point: Russell was given a one-point penalty for failing to keep a proper distance behind the Safety Car during the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix. This expires on December 1, 2025.
Esteban Ocon
Three penalty points
Similar to Nico Hülkenberg, Esteban Ocon has a new home for 2025 as he moves from Alpine to Haas.
He will bring three penalty points with him to his new team.
One point: During the F1 Sprint Race at the Miami Grand Prix, Ocon was given a one-point penalty for an unsafe release on pit lane. That point expires on May 4, 2025.
Two points: Race officials determined that Ocon caused a collision with then-teammate Pierre Gasly on the opening lap of the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix. Those two points will expire on May 26, 2025, and that incident may have doomed his tenure at Alpine.
What F1 drivers still have a clean slate?
As the schedule shifts into summer, several F1 drivers have a clean slate:
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Kimi Antonelli
Gabriel Bortoleto
Esteban Ocon: Ocon began the year with three penalty points on his FIA Super License, all of which have now expired
Pierre Gasly
Lewis Hamilton
Charles Leclerc
Yuki Tsunoda
Do any inactive drivers have penalty points outstanding ahead of 2025?
There are also five drivers who may not be on the grid when 2025 begins, but have some points remaining on their FIA Super License that are yet to expire.
Valtteri Bottas
Five penalty points
Valtteri Bottas returns to Mercedes as a reserve driver for the 2025 F1 season. However, he has five points currently on his FIA Super License. Bottas is frequently mentioned as an option for the incoming Cadillac F1 Team.
Three points: Bottas had a rather eventful Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He was given a three-point penalty for causing a collision with Kevin Magnussen. These three points expire on December 8, 2025.
Two points: Bottas was given two more penalty points in Abu Dhabi, these for causing a collision with Sergio Pérez. These also expire on December 8, 2025.
Jack Doohan
Four penalty points
Jack Doohan was replaced at Alpine by Franco Colapinto following the Monaco Grand Prix. At the moment he has four penalty points on his FIA Super License.
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Two points: Doohan was given a two-point penalty for causing a collision with fellow rookie Gabriel Bortoleto during the F1 Sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix. These expire on March 22, 2026.
Two points: The Chinese Grand Prix was an eventful weekend for Doohan, as he was given two more penalty points for forcing fellow rookie Isack Hadjar off the track during the Chinese Grand Prix. Those expire on March 23, 2026.
Daniel Ricciardo
One penalty point
Fan favorite Daniel Ricciardo began the year with three penalty points on his FIA Super License, two of which have now expired.