Formula 1’s penalty points system was introduced in 2014 and works similarly to the points on a driving license. It keeps drivers in check by penalizing them for breaking rules during race weekends. If a driver collects 12 points within 12 months, they are automatically banned from the next race.

Drivers earn penalty points depending on how serious their mistakes are. Minor errors, like exceeding track limits, might get a single point, while dangerous incidents, like causing a crash, can result in more points.

These points stay on a driver’s record for 12 months, after which they expire. This means drivers must stay cautious to avoid reaching the 12-point limit.

Kevin Magnussen became the first driver in Formula 1 history to be banned under this system after accumulating 12 points during the 2024 season. His ban forced him to miss the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, following several infractions like causing collisions and ignoring yellow flags.

In 2023, Pierre Gasly came very close to a ban when he reached 10 points, but he managed to avoid further penalties until some of his points expired.

His situation sparked widespread debate about the fairness of the penalty points system, with some arguing it penalized drivers too harshly for minor mistakes.

This prompted FIA to start giving points only for dangerous incidents, like for example forcing another driver of the track or causing a collision, since the start of the 2024 season.

As of now, Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen are the closest to accumulating the maximum 12 penalty points in Formula 1, both sitting at eight points. However, Verstappen has more reason to be cautious as none of his penalty points will be wiped off his licence until June 2025. This means he must tread carefully during the first half of the 2024 season to avoid a ban.

For Alonso, his points are set to expire over the course of the next year and a half. He has received points for incidents such as potentially dangerous driving in Australia and collisions in China and Austria.

Here is a breakdown of the current state for each 2025 driver:

Eight penalty points

Fernando Alonso

• three points (expire 24th March 2025) for potentially dangerous driving in the 2024 Australian Grand Prix.
• three points (expire 20th April 2025) for causing a collision with Carlos Sainz in the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix Sprint.
• two points (expire 30th June 2025) for causing a collision with Zhou Guanyu in the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen

• two points (expire 30th June 2025) for causing a collision with Lando Norris in the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix.
• two points (expire 27th October 2025) for forcing Lando Norris off track in the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix.
• one point (expires 1st November 2025) for being under the minimum VSC delta time in the 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix Sprint.
• one point (expires 1st December 2025) for driving unnecessarily slowly on a cooldown lap during the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix.
• two points (expire 8th December 2025) for causing a collision with Oscar Piastri in the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Four penalty points

Nico Hulkenberg

• two points (expire 30th June 2025) for causing a collision with Fernando Alonso in the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix Sprint.
• two points (expire 1st September 2025) for causing a collision with Yuki Tsunoda in the 2024 Italian Grand Prix.

Lance Stroll

• two points (expire 21st April 2025) for causing a collision with Daniel Ricciardo in the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix.
• two points (expire 1st December 2025) for causing a collision with Alex Albon in the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix.

Oscar Piastri

• two points (expire 2nd November 2025) for colliding with Liam Lawson in the 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix.
• two points (expire 8th December 2025) for causing a collision with Franco Colapinto in the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Three penalty points

Esteban Ocon

• one point (expires 4th May 2025) for an unsafe release during the 2024 Miami Grand Prix Sprint.
• two points (expire 26th May 2025) for causing a collision with Pierre Gasly in the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix.

Lando Norris

• three points (expire 1st December 2025) for failing to slow for double yellow flags during the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix.

Two penalty points

Oliver Bearman

• two points (expire 2nd November 2025) for colliding with Franco Colapinto in the 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix.

Alex Albon

• two points (expire 1st December 2025) for causing a collision with Kevin Magnussen in the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix.

Liam Lawson

• two points (expire 1st December 2025) for causing a collision with Valtteri Bottas in the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix.

One penalty point

Carlos Sainz

• one point (expires 5th May 2025) for causing a collision with Oscar Piastri in the 2024 Miami Grand Prix.

George Russell

• one point (expires 1st December 2025) for failing to maintain a 10-car-length distance behind the Safety Car during the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix.

Additionally, there are also several drivers who have not accumulated any penalty points. These include Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Gabriel Bortoleto, Jack Doohan, Pierre Gasly, Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, Sergio Perez, and Yuki Tsunoda.