F1 penalty points: Top 5 delinquents before the 2025 F1 Brazilian GP

The F1 penalty points system was introduced to keep the driving standards above a threshold. They were first introduced by the FIA in 2014 to have a metric in place where a driver who is a repeat offender knows that if he crosses a line in terms of driving standards, he would end up being held accountable.

As a part of the system, a driver is handed F1 penalty points for committing a transgression on track. The worse the transgression, the more the points. These points stay with the driver over a 12-month period.

If the driver ends up accumulating 12 points, he gets banned for a season. We've only had Kevin Magnussen get banned through this system, and it happened last season. With that being said, as we head to Brazil, which drivers are close to getting banned? Let's take a look.

F1 Penalty Points: Who is close to a ban?

#5 Liam Lawson

Penalty Points: 6

Liam Lawson is at #5 with six F1 penalty points to his name at the moment.

• 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)

#4 Oscar Piastri

Penalty Points: 6

Oscar Piastri also has six F1 penalty points to his name. It does come as a surprise, as well as the driver is in general very clean in his wheel-to-wheel combat.

• 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)

#3. Lance Stroll

Penalty Points: 7

Lance Stroll is currently at seven F1 penalty points on his license.

• Two points: Causing a collision with Esteban Ocon at US GP sprint (expires on October 20, 2026)
• 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)

#2 Max Verstappen

Penalty Points: 7

Max Verstappen is no longer the driver with the most F1 penalty points. He also lost a couple more to as Ollie Bearman has taken over the mantle. He's still within striking distance of that threshold.

• 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)

#1 Ollie Bearman

Penalty Points: 10

Ollie Bearman is now alarmingly close to a race ban with 10 F1 penalty points to his name. The Brit has displaced Max Verstappen as the driver with the most points accrued on the current grid.

• 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).
• Two points: Causing a collision with Carlos Sainz at the 2025 Italian GP (expires on September 7, 2026)

Edited by Charanjot Singh Kohli