F1 penalty points: 5 biggest delinquents at the midway point of the season

As part of the F1 penalty points system, if a driver reaches the 12-point threshold, he is banned for a race. The system has been in place for a decade, but its true impact came to the fore last season when Kevin Magnussen got banned for a race.

Since then, the penalty points system has gotten a bigger spotlight. It arguably got a larger spotlight this season when Max Verstappen had racked up 11 F1 penalty points and was on the verge of being banned for a race.

The driver was very close to the edge when it comes to getting banned for a race, but the expiry of two points means he's on a somewhat safer footing.

Max Verstappen, however, is not the only driver who is very close to danger when it comes to this, as there are a few others who need to tread carefully.

With that being said, as the F1 world enjoys the summer break, who have been the top 5 delinquents on the current grid? Let's take a look.

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 has 6 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 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. He's already at 8 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 9 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)