Kimi Raikkonen called one F1 driver the ‘nicest guy’ on the grid, but he earned 32 penalty points in his career

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It’s been just over a decade since Formula 1 introduced its penalty points system. Lewis Hamilton is the only driver who’s been on the grid throughout this regulatory era.

But F1 Oversteer has totted up F1’s all-time penalty points tallies, and Hamilton isn’t one of the biggest offenders. Under the rules, a driver receives a race ban if they accrue 12 points in the space of a year.

The stewards can hand out a maximum of four points per incident. In September last year, Kevin Magnussen became the first driver suspended under the mechanism, missing the Azerbaijan Grand Prix for Haas.

Max Verstappen has since skirted close, entering the recent races in Canada and Austria on 11 points. He avoided the immediate danger, but is still carrying nine.

Sebastian Vettel is one of the biggest offenders in F1’s penalty points era

Speaking back in 2010, Kimi Raikkonen described Sebastian Vettel as the ‘nicest guy’ in Formula 1. They would go on to be teammates at Ferrari between 2015 and 2018.

Vettel became a more divisive figure when he won four straight world championships with Red Bull at the start of that decade. But by the time he retired, he was among the most popular drivers on the grid.

That reflected his reputation as one of F1’s heroes, driven by his philanthropy off-track. But Vettel was also a fierce and uncompromising racer.

Indeed, he ranks fifth on the all-time penalty points leaderboard with 32. Verstappen leads the way, with Magnussen second and former Racing Point teammates Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez tied for third.

Sebastian Vettel used to clash with Max Verstappen in Formula 1 driver briefings

After one 2016 clash with Verstappen in Mexico, Vettel exploded on the team radio, using an expletive to describe then-FIA race director Charlie Whiting. This was perhaps the biggest meltdown he suffered inside an F1 cockpit.

Vettel took exception to Verstappen’s ultra-aggressive driving style when he broke into F1. The Mexico incident was one of multiple clashes between the two.

According to Nico Hulkenberg, Vettel and Verstappen would clash in F1 driver briefings. Hulkenberg even joked that he had to bring food because their debates lasted so long.

Vettel has been linked with a return to F1 in Helmut Marko’s role at Red Bull, though this seems like more of a long-term plan. It’s possible that he and Verstappen end up being colleagues.