This weekend`s Austrian Grand Prix represents the final event where reigning Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen faces the significant risk of triggering an automatic ban due to accumulated penalty points.
Verstappen`s recent controversial incident with George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix impacted his championship aspirations. Furthermore, the incident resulted in three penalty points being added to his F1 super licence.
This additional penalty was crucial because it brought Verstappen`s total to 11 points accumulated over the preceding 12 months. This is just one point away from the 12-point threshold that mandates an automatic one-race suspension under F1 regulations.
Penalty points remain on a driver`s licence for exactly one year before they expire. Verstappen`s first points from his current tally are due to be removed on June 30th, the Monday immediately following this weekend`s Austrian Grand Prix.
Verstappen successfully navigated the Canadian Grand Prix weekend without incident, although he expressed frustration with questions regarding his potential ban after qualifying second behind George Russell, who ultimately won the race.
“You can never guarantee anything,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner commented after the Spanish race when asked about his star driver`s precarious position. “He`s just got to keep his nose clean… then the first points come off at the end of June.”
Verstappen had avoided penalties throughout the first eight races of the current season prior to Spain, and has maintained even longer clean streaks in the past. Red Bull is undoubtedly counting on their four-time champion to manage the situation effectively once again. However, given how quickly his penalty points have accumulated over the last year, there is very little margin for error or even minor misjudgments during wheel-to-wheel racing in Spielberg.
Understanding F1`s Penalty Points System
The F1 penalty points system was introduced at the beginning of the 2014 season to serve as an extra deterrent against drivers repeatedly causing incidents on track.
While stewards at Grands Prix have various sporting sanctions available for drivers deemed primarily or entirely at fault for on-track rule breaches – such as time penalties, grid drops, drive-throughs, or in severe cases, disqualifications – they also have the authority to assign one, two, or three penalty points to a driver`s super licence.
A super licence is mandatory for all drivers participating in Grand Prix weekends, and this is where penalty points are recorded.
In this regard, the system is comparable to the accumulation of points on a standard road driving licence for traffic violations. Similar to road licences, drivers are banned from competition if they reach the maximum limit of 12 points within a rolling 12-month period.
The Sporting Regulations stipulate: “If a driver accrues twelve (12) penalty points his licence will be suspended for the following Competition, following which twelve (12) points will be removed from the licence. Penalty points will remain on a driver`s Super Licence for a period of twelve (12) months after which they will be respectively removed on the twelve (12) month anniversary of their imposition.”
Verstappen`s 11 Penalty Points Breakdown
Max Verstappen`s current 11 penalty points were accumulated from the following incidents:
- June 30, 2023 – 2 points – Caused a collision with Lando Norris at the Austrian GP.
- October 27, 2023 – 2 points – Forced Lando Norris off track at the Mexico City GP.
- November 2, 2023 – 1 point – Exceeded speed limit under a Virtual Safety Car during the Sao Paulo Sprint.
- November 30, 2023 – 1 point – Drove unnecessarily slowly and impeded George Russell during Qatar GP qualifying.
- December 8, 2023 – 2 points – Caused a collision with Oscar Piastri at the Abu Dhabi GP.
- June 1, 2024 – 3 points – Caused a collision with George Russell at the Spanish GP.
Verstappen`s initial two points from the collision with Norris in Austria will expire on the one-year anniversary of that incident, June 30th. However, the subsequent two points from Mexico City will not be removed from his total until late October.
This means that even if Verstappen avoids collecting any points in Austria that would trigger a ban, he will still remain on nine points for the next nine Grands Prix events.
What Kind of Incidents Can Result in a Single Penalty Point?
Race stewards have the discretion to issue up to three penalty points for serious offences, scaling down to one point for less severe incidents.
Recently, the FIA published documents that serve as guidelines for stewards regarding driving standards and penalties. While these guidelines are not regulations themselves, they suggest appropriate penalties for around 100 common rule breaches.
As noted earlier, Verstappen has received single penalty points twice in the past year: once for driving too quickly under a Virtual Safety Car in the Sao Paulo Sprint, and again in Qatar for impeding George Russell by driving unnecessarily slowly during qualifying.
George Russell himself, coincidentally, received his current single point during the same Qatar weekend for failing to maintain the required 10-car-length distance behind the Safety Car.
Collisions with other cars can also result in just one penalty point, as seen with Liam Lawson in Bahrain and Miami. This applies to practice sessions as well, not just races.
Aston Martin`s Lance Stroll was given one penalty point at last month`s Monaco GP for colliding with Charles Leclerc`s Ferrari during Friday practice.
Similarly, Esteban Ocon received one penalty point in Miami last year for an unsafe pit-lane release when he pulled out of the Alpine garage into the path of Leclerc ahead of the Sprint grid laps.
Has Anyone Reached the 12-Point Limit Before?
While several drivers have come close to accumulating 12 active penalty points, it wasn`t until last season – a decade after the system`s introduction – that a driver actually reached the limit. Kevin Magnussen hit 12 points following a collision with Pierre Gasly at the Italian Grand Prix.
As a result, the Haas driver was suspended and missed the subsequent race in Azerbaijan, with Oliver Bearman stepping in to race that weekend in Baku.
Before the formal penalty points system existed, Romain Grosjean was the last driver to be suspended from a Grand Prix. This occurred after he caused a major multi-car crash at the first corner of the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix, following involvement in other incidents earlier that season.
Other drivers suspended in F1 history include Michael Schumacher (two races), Eddie Irvine (three), and Mika Hakkinen (one) in 1994 for various infringements. Nigel Mansell was also banned from the 1989 Spanish GP.
Who Could Replace Verstappen if He Were Banned?
Red Bull is undoubtedly hoping that Max Verstappen will, as Christian Horner put it, “keep his nose clean” in Austria to avoid creating an immediate and unwelcome problem for the team.
However, if they were suddenly required to find a one-off replacement for Verstappen, one of the drivers from their sister team, Racing Bulls – either Isack Hadjar or Liam Lawson – would almost certainly be called upon to race alongside Yuki Tsunoda for that single weekend.
Such a change would then create a temporary vacancy at the junior team.
Japan`s Ayumu Iwasa, aged 23, represents Red Bull`s more experienced reserve option and has participated in Friday practice sessions for both teams. British 17-year-old F2 front-runner Arvid Lindblad is also now a potential candidate after the FIA recently granted Red Bull`s long-standing request for a super licence exemption for their protege, two months before his 18th birthday.
