2025 Driver Penalty Points Post-Mexico Grand Prix

The FIA penalty point system serves as a behavioral control measure, analogous to a demerit system for a standard road license. Drivers accumulate points on their FIA Super License for various on-track incidents, with the number of points awarded corresponding to the severity of the incident. If a driver accumulates a total of 12 points over a rolling 12-month period, they receive an automatic one-race ban. Crucially, the points for each specific incident expire exactly one year after being issued, meaning a driver’s total is constantly evolving as new penalties are added and old ones are cleared.

Current Driver Penalty Point Standings

The following section presents a comprehensive overview of the penalty point standings for every active driver on the 2025 Formula 1 grid. The data has been synthesized from multiple sources to create a definitive list, with totals calculated based on the most detailed available records of individual infractions for each driver.

Fernando Alonso, Gabriel Bortoleto, Isack Hadjar, and Nico Hulkenberg have maintained a clean record and currently hold zero penalty points.

With the standings established, the subsequent section will provide a more detailed analysis of the drivers who are closest to the 12-point threshold for a race ban.

Analysis of High-Risk Drivers

Monitoring drivers who are approaching the 12-point threshold is of critical strategic importance. A one-race ban not only impacts a driver’s championship campaign but also carries significant consequences for their team’s Constructors’ Championship aspirations and overall performance. The loss of a primary driver, even for a single event, can be a major setback. The analysis below focuses on the five drivers with the highest current penalty point totals, including two drivers tied for fourth place.

Oliver Bearman – 10 Points

Oliver Bearman is in a dangerous position on the grid, sitting just two points away from a race ban. His record mostly made up of flag infringements, which account for six of his ten points. These procedural errors, combined with two separate collisions, suggest a need for more discipline. With his latest points not expiring until almost a year from now, in September 2026, Bearman faces a lengthy period where any minor infraction could trigger a suspension.

Max Verstappen – 9 Points

Verstappen’s nine penalty points place him three points away from a ban. His offenses are a mix of aggressive wheel-to-wheel racing incidents, including two collisions and forcing a rival off track, and procedural violations under VSC and qualifying conditions. While his situation is serious, he has a significant number of points set to expire before the end of the 2025 calendar year. This imminent clearing of his record will provide substantial relief, but he must navigate the next few races with caution to avoid further penalties.

Lance Stroll – 7 Points

Stroll’s seven points are almost entirely derived from direct altercations with other drivers, including three separate collisions and one instance of forcing a competitor off the track. This pattern points to a consistently aggressive driving style in close-quarters racing. With five points to spare, his immediate risk is lower than Bearman’s or Verstappen’s, but the recurring nature of his offenses suggests a high probability of future incidents.

Liam Lawson – 6 Points

Lawson is exactly halfway to a race ban, with all six of his points resulting from causing collisions. Notably, two of his infractions occurred during the same Grand Prix weekend in Bahrain. This concentration of similar offenses may indicate a vulnerability in judging race-start or heavy traffic situations. While not in immediate danger, this distinct pattern of behavior warrants monitoring.

Oscar Piastri – 6 Points

Tied with Lawson at six points, Piastri’s record is split between two collisions from late 2024 and a procedural error related to a Safety Car restart in 2025. This balance between racing incidents and procedural missteps is less indicative of a specific behavioral pattern compared to other high-risk drivers. The expiration of four of his points by the end of 2025 will significantly lower his risk profile heading into the 2026 season.

This focus on individual drivers provides critical insight, but a team-level view can reveal broader patterns in operational discipline.

Team-Based Penalty Point Aggregation

Analyzing penalty points at a team level offers a different perspective, reflecting the collective discipline of a driver pairing. A high aggregated total can indicate a team-wide tendency towards high-risk driving or operational lapses, potentially impacting their consistency and Constructors’ Championship performance. The table below sums the points for each team’s 2025 driver lineup.

Team Penalty Points

The data reveals that Red Bull currently has the highest combined total, driven by Max Verstappen’s 9 points and Yuki Tsunoda’s 5. Closely following is Haas, whose total is overwhelmingly composed of Oliver Bearman’s 10 points. At the other end of the spectrum, Stake F1 Team (Sauber) stands out with a perfect record of zero combined points, followed by Ferrari with a low total of three. For teams like Red Bull and Haas, the high aggregate score underscores a significant risk factor, as an incident involving either of their drivers could have major competitive implications.

This collective view sets the stage for a deeper dive into the specific types of offenses being committed across the grid.

Infraction Trend Analysis

By categorizing every on-track offense recorded, we can identify broader trends in driver behavior and pinpoint which types of infractions are most prevalent during the 2025 season. This analysis provides insight into whether penalties are primarily a result of aggressive racing, procedural mistakes, or poor judgment under specific conditions.

Causing a Collision This is the most common type of offense. These incidents typically involve direct car-to-car contact for which one driver is deemed predominantly at fault.

• Liam Lawson: 6 points (from four separate incidents)
• Max Verstappen: 5 points (from two separate incidents)
• Lance Stroll: 5 points (from three separate incidents)
• Oliver Bearman: 4 points (from two separate incidents)
• Oscar Piastri: 4 points (from two separate incidents)
• Kimi Antonelli: 4 points (from two separate incidents)
• Alex Albon: 4 points (from two separate incidents)
• Carlos Sainz: 4 points (from two separate incidents)
• Yuki Tsunoda: 3 points (from two separate incidents)
• Franco Colapinto: 2 points
• Pierre Gasly: 2 points

Flag Infringements These are serious procedural violations related to ignoring or improperly responding to red or yellow flags, which signal danger on the track.

• Oliver Bearman: 6 points (from two separate incidents)
• Lando Norris: 3 points
• Yuki Tsunoda: 2 points
• Lewis Hamilton: 2 points

Forcing Another Driver Off Track This category includes incidents where a driver uses aggressive positioning to push a competitor off the racing surface without making significant contact.

• Max Verstappen: 2 points
• Lance Stroll: 2 points
• Franco Colapinto: 2 points

Procedural Violations This is a broad category for non-collision and non-flag offenses, such as Safety Car infringements, VSC infringements, or driving unnecessarily slowly.

• Max Verstappen: 2 points (from two separate incidents)
• Oscar Piastri: 2 points
• George Russell: 1 point

Erratic Driving These penalties are for dangerous or unpredictable maneuvers, such as moving under braking, that do not necessarily result in a collision but are deemed unsafe.

• Kimi Antonelli: 1 point
• Charles Leclerc: 1 point
• Esteban Ocon: 1 point

The overwhelming majority of penalty points have been awarded for Causing a Collision, highlighting that aggressive wheel-to-wheel racing remains the primary source of penalties. However, the high points awarded for Flag Infringements—particularly the six points for Oliver Bearman—demonstrate that stewards take these safety-related procedural breaches very seriously.

The following section will examine how the expiration of these points may alter the current landscape.

Written By

Sarah Stanley