F1 penalty points: 5 biggest delinquents before 2025 Dutch GP

The F1 penalty points system was first introduced as a countermeasure for the drop in racing standards. In the early 2010s, the driving standards had a dip, and one of the reasons behind it was the increased number of pay drivers.

As a result, a system was set up where drivers would be handed penalty points if they committed an on-track transgression. That transgression could be anything from causing a collision to speeding in the pit lane.

If a driver reaches the threshold of 12 F1 penalty points, he gets banned for a race. Kevin Magnussen was the first-ever driver to get banned due to this system last season. Max Verstappen became eerily close to getting banned this season after the race in Barcelona.

At that stage, he had accumulated 11 F1 penalty points. He's seen a few of them expire now, but the danger has not dissipated. He's not the only driver, though, who is on the verge of getting banned, as there are others who have crept closer to that dangerous threshold of 12 points. With that being said, in this feature, we'll take a look at the top 5 delinquents on the grid.

F1 Penalty Points: Who is close to a ban?

#5 Lance Stroll

Penalty Points: 6

Lance Stroll currently has six F1 penalty points on his license.

• Two points: Pushing another driver off track at the Canadian GP (expires on June 15, 2026)
• One point: Causing a collision with Charles Leclerc at the Monaco GP (expires on May 25, 2026)
• Two points: Causing a collision with Alex Albon at the Qatar GP (expires on December 1, 2025)

#4 Liam Lawson

Penalty Points: 6

Liam Lawson also has six F1 penalty points.

• One point: Causing a collision in the Miami GP (expires on May 3, 2026)
• Two points: Causing a collision in the Bahrain GP (expires on April 14, 2026)
• One point: Causing a collision in the Bahrain GP (expires on April 14, 2026)
• Two points: Causing a collision with Valtteri Bottas at the Qatar GP (expires on December 1, 2025)

#3 Oscar Piastri

Penalty Points: 6

Oscar Piastri almost copped a few penalty points at the F1 Austrian GP when he locked up his tires into his teammate. He currently has six penalty points.

• Two points: Erratic Braking in front of Max Verstappen before a restart (expires on July 6, 2026)
• Two points: Causing a collision with Franco Colapinto at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (expires on December 8, 2025)
• Two points: Causing a collision with Liam Lawson at the 2024 Brazilian GP (expires on November 2, 2025)

#2 Ollie Bearman

Penalty Points: 8

Ollie Bearman is now slowly moving into a more dangerous category where the British driver's errors are taking him closer to a ban. The rookie already at eight F1 penalty points in his career.

• Four points: Red Flag infringement in the pitlane during British GP (expires 6 July, 2026)
• Two points: Red Flag infringement in Monaco GP FP2 (expires on 23 May, 2026)
• Two points: Causing a collision with Franco Colapinto at the 2024 Brazilian GP (expires on November 2, 2025).

#1 Max Verstappen

Penalty Points: 9

Max Verstappen had a clean weekend in Hungary. However, the nine F1 penalty points on his license are still a concern.

• Three points: Causing a collision with George Russell during the 2025 F1 Spanish GP (expires on June 1, 2026)
• Two points: Causing a collision with Oscar Piastri at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (expires on December 8, 2025)
• One point: Driving unnecessarily slowly in the 2024 F1 Qatar GP Qualifying (expires on December 1, 2025)
• One point: VSC infringement in the 2024 F1 Brazilian GP Sprint (expires on November 1, 2025)
• Two points: Forcing Lando Norris off track during the 2024 F1 Mexican GP (expires on October 27, 2025)