How many penalty points does every 2025 Formula 1 driver have as Oliver Bearman at risk of race ban

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Formula 1 drivers receive an automatic one-race ban if they get 12 penalty points on their superlicence, but who has accrued the most and who is close to a suspension?

Much like a normal driving licence, Formula 1 pilots need to keep it clean on the track or run the risk of receiving penalty points. The FIA introduced the penalty points system in 2014 for its stewards to have another way of penalising dangerous driving above in-session methods.

Incidents which occur on a circuit can draw reprimands (warnings), fines, a grid drop for the next race a driver enters, in-race time penalties, or drive-through penalties. If the incident is sufficient enough or a major rule has been broken, the stewards can also disqualify a driver.

Why do Formula 1 drivers receive penalty points and the threat of a race ban?

The FIA’s stewards at each Formula 1 round have the power to give penalty points as a form of punishment if they feel a driver’s actions during practice, qualifying, an F1 Sprint or in the Grand Prix merited a larger penalty than whatever manner they were penalised at that race.

How many penalty points the stewards issue will vary based on the type of incident and the severity. Drivers can get penalty points by speeding during a Virtual Safety Car or behind the safety car, forcing a rival off the circuit, causing a collision and overtaking under yellow flags.

Stewards can even further penalise a driver by adding penalty points to their superlicence if a team does an unsafe release during a pit stop. All penalty points remain valid on a driver’s licence for 12 months after they were issued, making a ban possible at any stage of the year.

So, with that in mind, F1 Oversteer takes a look into the current penalty points status of the 2025 Formula 1 grid – looking at who is close to a race ban and why they receive the points.

Kevin Magnussen became the first F1 driver to get a race ban for 12 penalty points in 2024

Kevin Magnussen became the first F1 driver to receive a ban for collecting 12 penalty points on his superlicence in a 12-month period, during the 2024 season. Magnussen was forced to miss the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and was replaced by Haas’ reserve driver Oliver Bearman.

Magnussen was the first driver to earn a race ban for penalty points since the superlicence system was first introduced in 2014. F1 had not banned a driver from a race since Romain Grosjean missed the 2012 Italian Grand Prix for causing a huge crash at the previous race.

At the start of the 2014 Belgian Grand Prix, the then-Lotus driver moved across in front of Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren, with the Brit clipping the rear right tyre of the Frenchman’s car. The crash saw Grosjean’s car fly upwards, with both cars also collecting Fernando Alonso and the Saubers of Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi.

Grosjean was found at fault for the crash by stewards, who stated that the incident was “an extremely serious breach of the regulations”. The FIA document also made note that the driver had “eliminated leading championship contenders from the race”, although Alonso retained his drivers’ championship lead at the end of the grand prix.

F1 driver’s superlicence penalty points

Three-quarters of the 2025 F1 grid currently have penalty points on their superlicence, with just five drivers racing on a completely clean slate. Here’s the full list of the 2025 F1 drivers’ penalty points:

Oliver Bearman – Ten penalty points

When do Oliver Bearman’s next penalty points expire? 23 May 2026 (two)

Oliver Bearman is now the closest driver to a full race ban, with the Haas driver just two penalty points away from the punishment. Bearman was handed two points following the 2025 Italian Grand Prix after being found guilty of causing a collision with Carlos Sainz, with Nico Rosberg sharing that he believes this was unfair.

The Brit was awarded penalty points at his maiden home grand prix, when he failed to slow at the pit entry during a red flag in FP3. Bearman lost control of his Haas when entering the pits, sending the car spinning into the barriers. Alongside four penalty points, he was also handed a 10-place grid penalty for the race.

Lance Stroll – Six penalty points

When do Lance Stroll’s next penalty points expire? 23 May 2026 (one)

Lance Stroll has six penalty points on his superlicence after losing two from the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix in 2025 at the start of December. The Aston Martin was handed two points at the United States Grand Prix, after he attempted a late lunge on Esteban Ocon during the Sprint race.

Heading into Turn 1, the Canadian was close to the Haas in front, attempting to go down the inside of Ocon, before locking his tyres. The error saw the pair both collide and out of the Sprint race.

Liam Lawson – Six penalty points

When do Liam Lawson’s next penalty points expire? 13 April 2026 (one)

Liam Lawson has a total of six penalty points from four separate incidents. The Racing Bulls driver is one of the most penalised on the 2025 grid, after being found responsible for a number of crashes, including two separate collisions at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Lawson’s latest point was handed to the Kiwi after stewards deemed he had been driving in a potentially dangerous manner. In the opening lap of the Brazil Sprint race, Lawson tangled with Bearman in an incident where both drivers were given penalties.

Carlos Sainz – Four penalty points

When do Carlos Sainz’s next penalty points expire? 13 April 2026 (two)

Carlos Sainz has received two penalty points over the 2025 season, which until just before the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, included a controversial punishment at the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix. Following the safety car restart after Hamilton’s crash, Sainz tangled with Racing Bulls’ Lawson heading into Turn 1.

Both cars survived the collision, but Sainz was handed a 10-second penalty and two points on his superlicence. Sainz later blasted the stewards’ decision, calling the situation “a complete joke”. Williams appealed the punishment, with the FIA retracting their decision and removing the penalty points ahead of the Baku race weekend.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli – Four penalty points

When do Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s next penalty points expire? 29 June 2026 (two)

During his rookie season Andrea Kimi Antonelli has been given four penalty points on his superlicence. His latest two points came at the Dutch Grand Prix, when he was found at fault for the crash with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

Leclerc had just exited the pits ahead of Antonelli, with the young Italian trying to make a move down the inside of the Ferrari into Turn 3. The Mercedes clipped the rear left tyre of Leclerc’s car, sending it spinning into the barriers.

Oscar Piastri – Four penalty points

When do Oscar Piastri’s next penalty points expire? 6 July 2026 (two)

Current drivers’ championship leader, Oscar Piastri, currently has four penalty points on his superlicence. The McLaren driver was handed two points following a Safety Car infringement at the 2025 British Grand Prix.

Piastri was leading the grid behind the Safety Car down the Hangar Straight, but braked suddenly ahead of the restart. Verstappen was forced to take avoiding action by pulling down the side of Piastri. The Aussie was handed two penalty points alongside a 10-second penalty, which ultimately cost him the race win.

His most recent points came at the 2025 Sao Paulo Grand Prix after being found guilty of causing a collision with Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc after the safety car restart. As the cars headed down the main straight, Piastri moved down the inside of the Mercedes before locking up and catching Antonelli and Leclerc, which caused another cautionary period.

Max Verstappen – Three penalty points

When do Max Verstappen’s next penalty points expire? 1 June 2025 (three)

Max Verstappen currently has three penalty points on his superlicence, although the Red Bull driver had previously been carrying four points from last season that will have all expired by 8 December.

His penalty points were handed to the Dutchman during the Spanish Grand Prix. Verstappen was given three penalty points after crashing into George Russell after a safety car restart. The pair had gone wheel to wheel during the safety car restart, with Verstappen furious that he had run off the track.

The Red Bull driver had rejoined the track ahead of Russell but was told to let the Mercedes overtake him for the position to avoid a potential penalty. But despite letting Russell pass at Turn 4, Verstappen then accelerated into the next corner, crashing into the side of his rival.

Lewis Hamilton – Three penalty points

When do Lewis Hamilton’s next penalty points expire? 31 August 2026 (two)

Lewis Hamilton faced a tough weekend at the 2025 Dutch Grand Prix, including two penalty points for failing to slow under yellow flags during the warm-up lap. It wasn’t long after the start of the race that Hamilton found himself in the wall at Turn 3, destroying his Ferrari.

If things couldn’t get worse for the Brit, he was also handed a five-place grid penalty for the following grand prix in Monza. Despite the difficult weekend, team principal Fred Vasseur remained positive about Hamilton’s performance over the weekend.

His most recent point came in Interlagos when he was found responsible for causing a collision with Franco Colapinto. Hamilton clipped the Alpine after trying to pass the Argentine on the first lap, which broke the Ferrari front wing, damaged his floor and ultimately led to a five-second penalty before he retired.

Alex Albon – Three penalty points

When do Alex Albon’s next penalty points expire? 1 December 2025 (two)

Alex Albon has three penalty points on his superlicence, with his latest coming at the Las Vegas Grand Prix for causing a collision with Hamilton. The Williams driver attempted to overtake the Ferrari on the inside at Turn 14, catching the rear of Hamilton’s car and damaging his own front wing.

The Ferrari remained undamaged but Albon suffered with radio issues for the remainder of the grand prix around Sin City.

Pierre Gasly – Two penalty points

When do Pierre Gasly’s next penalty points expire? 3 August 2026 (two)

Pierre Gasly was handed two penalty points at the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix after causing a collision with Sainz on lap 62. The Alpine driver appeared to coast down the inside of the Williams heading into Turn 2, but was late on the brakes, causing the two cars to collide.

Sainz was forced off the track and also lost a place to the Sauber of Hulkenberg as he rejoined.

Gabriel Bortoleto – Two penalty points

When do Gabriel Bortoleto’s next penalty points expire? 23 November 2026 (two)

Gabriel Bortoleto was handed his first F1 penalty points at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, after the stewards found him responsible for causing a collision with Lance Stroll. The Sauber driver got a great start in the Nevada race but broke “extremely late” heading into Turn 1.

Alongside the two penalty points on his superlicence, Bortoleto was also given a 5-place grid drop for the following weekend in Qatar. The Brazilian was handed the punishment for the race around the Lusail International Circuit because he retired from the race in Vegas and couldn’t serve a time penalty.

Charles Leclerc – One penalty point

When do Charles Leclerc’s penalty points expire? 3 August 2026 (one)

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has just one penalty point on his superlicence, which was handed to him at the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix. Leclerc was found to have been driving erratically while defending against George Russell.

The pair had been battling for third place for several laps, before the Ferrari driver appeared to get frustrated with the Mercedes of Russell. Leclerc clearly moved under braking heading into Turn 1, and was handed a penalty.

Esteban Ocon – One penalty point

When do Esteban Ocon’s next penalty points expire? 7 September 2026 (one)

Esteban Ocon is the latest driver to join the penalty points grid, after being handed one penalty point at the 2025 Italian Grand Prix. On Lap 2, Stroll pulled alongside the Haas heading towards the second chicane, with Ocon pushing right and forcing Stroll onto the grass and then off at the corner.

Franco Colapinto – One penalty point

When do Franco Colapinto’s next penalty points expire? 29 June 2026 (one)

Alpine driver Franco Colapinto has received a total of three penalty points, with two recently expiring from the 2024 Mexican Grand Prix. Whilst driving for Williams after the team had sacked Logan Sargeant mid-season, the Argentine appeared to have been run off the track by Lawson at Turn 2.

Colapinto rejoined the track in front of the VCARB car, resulting in Lawson’s front wing being damaged and him needing to pit.

Inactive Formula 1 drivers with unspent penalty points

Yuki Tsunoda – Eight penalty points

When do Yuki Tsunoda’s next penalty points expire? 14 June 2026 (two)

Yuki Tsunoda has accumulated eight penalty points over the 2025 season before losing his Formula 1 seat for 2026, with all reprimands coming since the Canadian Grand Prix in June. The Red Bull driver was handed two penalty points during the third practice session at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve after overtaking Oscar Piastri under red flag conditions.

Piastri had crashed into the barrier during the session and was driving slowly back to the pit lane, when Tsunoda drove past him at an excessive speed. Stewards stated that the Japanese driver should have waited for Piastri to pit and punished him with a 10-place grid penalty for the race.

As penalty points stay on a driver’s superlicence for 12 months after they were issued, there are a handful of drivers not currently racing in Formula 1 who have unspent penalty points.

Jack Doohan – Four penalty points

When do Jack Doohan’s next penalty points expire? 22 March 2026 (two)

Despite making just seven Formula 1 starts for Alpine, including six in 2025, Doohan has accumulated four penalty points. The Australian was handed all four points on his superlicence at the Chinese Grand Prix for two separate incidents.

Doohan’s first punishment came after crashing into Gabriel Bortoleto on the final lap of the Sprint race. The Alpine driver attempted to move down the inside of the Sauber at the penultimate corner, although struggled to turn his car, sending both cars spinning.