Has an F1 driver ever been banned for penalty points? All you need to know

Only once has an F1 driver been banned for earning too many penalty points in the sport's modern era. The system was introduced in 2014 to discourage repeated minor offenses. Despite tempers often running high in F1, this system has rarely reached its breaking point until Kevin Magnussen's Monza meltdown in 2024.

Points are added to a driver's Super Licence to deter incidents like causing collisions or ignoring flags, etc. As outlined in Appendix L of the International Sporting Code, if a driver accumulates 12 points over a 12-month period, they are handed a one-race ban.

Haas F1 team's No. 20 driver, Magnussen's aggressive moves during the 2024 Italian Grand Prix saw him cross the threshold on his Super Licence.

Has only Kevin Magnussen been banned in F1?

Haas F1 Team's presentation of Kevin Magnussen, Romain Grosjean, and HAAS Gene (USA). Source: Getty

While multiple drivers have been handed race bans before, their cases were rooted in specific incidents. Romain Grosjean was banned from the 2012 Italian Grand Prix after he caused a multi-car crash on the first lap, in Spa. Michael Schumacher served a two-race ban in 1994 after ignoring a black flag and overtaking on the formation lap at Silverstone.

However, Kevin Magnussen's ban remains unique in that it was the result of a points tally. Magnussen clashed with his Alpine's Pierre Gasly on Turn 4, during the 2024 Italian Grand Prix at Monza. The FIA awarded him three penalty points during the weekend, pushing his total to 12 in the 12-month window.

Magnussen was already on thin ice coming into Italy with 10 penalty points, the Gasly clash sealed his fate. Haas was forced to bench him for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, turning to reserve driver Oliver Bearman for the weekend.

No driver, even under F1's strict points regime, had previously reached the 12-point limit for over a decade. Magnussen's case served as a rare warning shot for aggressive racing that toes the line too often.

Max Verstappen could be the second driver to be banned after Spanish GP penalty

Tenth placed Max Verstappen in parc ferme after the F1 Grand Prix of Spain. Source: Getty

Max Verstappen's Spanish Grand Prix was anything but routine. The Dutchman started behind the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri but found himself entangled in a chaotic restart late in the race after a Virtual Safety Car.

Coming out of Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya's final corner, Verstappen's Red Bull appeared to struggle for traction, as Charles Leclerc went past him down the main straight. He tried to defend his position into Turn 1 when George Russell attempted a move to the inside. The two made contact, sending Verstappen into the side stretch before he rejoined ahead of the Mercedes driver.

Before giving back the position, Verstappen deliberately slammed into Russell in Turn 5, venting his frustrations. He recovered to finish P5, however, his intentional move came under scrutiny. The stewards reviewed the incident and ruled that he had purposefully collided, breaching Article 2(d) of the sporting code governing reactionary moves under braking. As a result, Verstappen was handed a 10-second time penalty and 3 penalty points by F1.

The Dutchman later acknowledged his mistake via social media post and shared his frustration (via news.verstappen):

"I had no grip, so the car slid in the last corner. After that, I was hit in the middle of the straight. And then turn one... you can make up your own mind about that one, but I think it's clear. Of course I was frustrated I had to give the place back. I wasn't happy with it, I think that was clear too. In the end I got the penalty for that one moment, but it is what it is."

Verstappen now holds 11 penalty points on his Super Licence, just 1 away from a race ban. With races in Canada, Austria, and the UK on the horizon, the reigning champion will need to tread carefully to avoid joining Magnussen in the FIA's disciplinary history books.