F1’s penalty points system has been instrumental in helping keep driving standards in check. The entire system was first launched in 2014 due to the lack of a concrete methodology to address and manage driving regulations.
Since drivers like Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado had a habit of participating in skirmishes, a system had to be implemented to keep the drivers under control.
As part of the system, points are awarded based on the severity of transgressions. If a driver reaches 12 points, he will be banned from participating in a race. Since the inception of this system, Kevin Magnussen is the only driver to have faced a ban. It was won because the Danish driver reached 12 penalty points in F1 in 12 months.
As the sport prepares for the 2025 F1 season, who are the top 5 penalty point offenders? Let’s take a look.
F1 Penalty Points: Who’s Close to a Ban?
#5 Esteban Ocón
Penalty points: 3
Ocon has received three penalty points in F1 in the last 12 months.
- Two points: Causing a collision with Pierre Gasly at the Monaco GP (expires May 27, 2025)
- One point: Unsafe release during Miami GP (expires May 4, 2025)
#4 Nico Hulkenberg
Penalty points: 4
Hulkenberg has four penalty points in F1.
- Two points: Cause a collision with Yuki Tsunoda at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix (expires September 1, 2025)
- Two points: Cause a collision with Fernando Alonso during the 2024 Austrian GP Sprint (expires June 29, 2025)
#3Valtteri Bottas
Penalty points: 5
Bottas racked up a huge five F1 penalty points in Abu Dhabi.
- Two points: Cause a collision with Sergio Pérez at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (expires December 12, 2025)
- Three points: Cause a collision with Kevin Magnussen at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (expires December 12, 2025)
#2FernandoAlonso
Penalty points: 8
Alonso has accumulated eight penalty points in F1, including two for his dive bomb on Zhou Guanyu at the 2024 Austrian GP, which also led to a 10-second penalty.
- Two points: Cause a collision with Zhou Guanyu at the Austrian F1 GP (expires June 30, 2025)
- Three points: Taking Carlos Sainz off the track in the Chinese F1 sprint GP (expires April 20, 2025)
- Three points: “Potentially dangerous driving” against George Russell at the Australian GP (expires March 24, 2025)
#1 Max Verstappen
Penalty points: 8
Verstappen now has eight penalty points, and the driver accumulates two more for his collision with Oscar Piastri.
- One point: Driving too slow on the recovery lap at the 2024 F1 Qatar GP (expires December 1, 2025)
- One point: VSC violation at the 2024 Brazilian F1 GP Sprint (expires November 2, 2025)
- Two points: Forcing Lando Norris off the track during the 2024 F1 Mexican GP (expires October 28, 2025)
- Two points: Cause a collision with Norris at the 2024 F1 Austrian GP (expires June 30, 2025)
- Two points: Cause a collision with Oscar Piastri at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (expires December 12, 2025)
Edited by Aayush Kapoor.