F1 penalty points: 5 biggest delinquents before the 2025 US GP

The F1 penalty points tend to become the talk of the town when a driver gets closer to the dreaded threshold of 12 points. At this point, there are two drivers who are very close to that threshold, and somehow, there has not been as much coverage.

Ollie Bearman is currently one misstep away from being banned for a race, and it is remarkable to see how the young Brit has surprisingly racked up these many points. The driver closest to him in the penalty points tally is Max Verstappen, and he's also not too far either.

The F1 penalty points system was first introduced to keep the driving standards in check. Although the 12-point threshold significantly impacts these drivers, this system has only resulted in a ban for one driver in the past decade.

Last season, Kevin Magnussen exceeded the limit and received a race ban. With that being said, as we head to the F1 USGP, who are the top five delinquents? Let's take a look.

F1 Penalty Points: Who is close to a ban?

#5 Lance Stroll

Penalty Points: 5

Lance Stroll is at #5 for now and is currently at five 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 is at #4 with six F1 penalty points to his name at the moment.

• 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 also has six F1 penalty points to his name. It does come as a surprise as well as the driver is in general very clean in his wheel-to-wheel combat.

• 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 Max Verstappen

Penalty Points: 9

Max Verstappen is no longer the driver with the most F1 penalty points, as Ollie Bearman has taken over the mantle. He's still within striking distance of that threshold.

• 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)

#1 Ollie Bearman

Penalty Points: 10

Ollie Bearman is now alarmingly close to a race ban with 10 F1 penalty points to his name. The Brit has displaced Max Verstappen as the driver with the most points accrued on the current grid.

• 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).
• Two points: Causing a collision with Carlos Sainz at the 2025 Italian GP (expires on September 7, 2026)