F1 today :Lawson Penalized as Verstappen under investigation following his…read more
F1 today :Lawson Penalized as Verstappen under investigation following his…read more
The 2025 Formula 1 season is already heating up—not just in terms of racing action, but also with a rising number of penalty points being handed out to drivers. The FIA’s Super Licence points system, which mirrors road licensing rules, is proving more significant than ever. Under the system, if a driver accumulates 12 penalty points within a 12-month span, they receive an automatic one-race ban. This rule is designed to maintain discipline and safety on track.
In 2024, the use of penalty points became more frequent, and its effects are clearly being felt as the 2025 campaign unfolds. Kevin Magnussen made history last September by becoming the first F1 driver to serve a race ban under the 12-point rule. Now, other drivers are edging dangerously close to that limit.
The most notable case is reigning World Champion Max Verstappen, who currently sits on eight penalty points. With none of his points due to expire until late June 2025, Verstappen must tread carefully in the first half of the season to avoid suspension. His aggressive racing style will need to be tempered as he attempts to defend his title while staying within the FIA’s behavioural boundaries.
Meanwhile, the 2025 Australian Grand Prix saw all drivers escape without earning additional penalty points. However, the calm didn’t last long—Jack Doohan was the first to pick up points this season during the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, marking the beginning of what could be another tense year of regulatory crackdowns.
Liam Lawson is among the drivers now under increased scrutiny. The Bahrain Grand Prix saw him penalized twice: once for colliding with Lance Stroll and again for an incident with Nico Hulkenberg. These added three points to Lawson’s record, bringing his total to five. Here’s a breakdown of Lawson’s current penalty points:
- 2 points (expiring 1st December 2025): Collision with Valtteri Bottas at the 2024 Qatar GP.
- 1 point (expiring 13th April 2026): Collision with Lance Stroll in Bahrain 2025.
- 2 points (expiring 13th April 2026): Collision with Nico Hulkenberg in Bahrain 2025.
Hulkenberg himself has four penalty points, stemming from two separate incidents last season:
- 2 points (expiring 30th June 2025): Collision with Fernando Alonso in Austria’s Sprint.
- 2 points (expiring 1st September 2025): Collision with Yuki Tsunoda at Monza.
Jack Doohan now also has four points to his name following the Shanghai race weekend:
- 2 points (expiring 22nd March 2026): Collision with Gabriel Bortoleto in the Sprint.
- 2 points (expiring 23rd March 2026): Forcing Isack Hadjar off the track during the main race.
Oscar Piastri has accumulated four points as well:
- 2 points (expiring 2nd November 2025): Incident with Lawson in Brazil 2024.
- 2 points (expiring 8th December 2025): Collision with Franco Colapinto in Abu Dhabi.
Carlos Sainz is also a driver to keep an eye on. After a recent penalty for forcing Kimi Antonelli off the track in Bahrain, his total is now three:
- 1 point (expiring 5th May 2025): Collision with Piastri in Miami 2024.
- 2 points (expiring 13th April 2026): Bahrain 2025 incident with Antonelli.
Lando Norris carries three points, all due to a violation during the Qatar GP in 2024, where he failed to slow for double yellow flags. Esteban Ocon, with three points as well, earned them through an unsafe release in Miami and a collision with teammate Pierre Gasly in Monaco.
Several other drivers have two points each, including Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso, Oliver Bearman, and Alex Albon—each penalized for separate collisions last season. George Russell is among those with a single penalty point, picked up for not maintaining the required 10-car length gap behind the Safety Car in Qatar.
A few drivers remain penalty-free heading into the 2025 season. Notable names on this clean list include Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, Pierre Gasly, Yuki Tsunoda, Kimi Antonelli, and Gabriel Bortoleto.
Even inactive drivers still have unexpired points. Franco Colapinto (2 points), Valtteri Bottas (5 points total from two separate incidents), and Daniel Ricciardo (1 point) could carry their records into future seasons should they return to the grid.
As the 2025 season progresses, drivers will need to be increasingly cautious. With the FIA continuing to enforce rules more strictly, even minor infractions could contribute to race bans—and for championship contenders like Verstappen, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
