F1 PENALTY POINTS: SERGIO PEREZ FINALLY SEES TALLY DROP AFTER LONG-HELD POINTS

The use of penalty points in F1 has become increasingly liberal this season, and that is playing out with more drivers getting closer to the race ban threshold.

Kevin Magnussen moved to the top of the standings earlier this year, but given he had such a long time until any would be removed, his two points at Monza meant he hit the 12-point threshold that would trigger a race ban – which becomes zero again when he returns in Singapore.

What are penalty points used for in Formula 1?

Formula 1’s penalty points system is in place to keep driver behaviour under control, in the same way as regular road users, with 12 points on their FIA Super Licence over a 12-month period resulting in a one-race ban.

Penalty points are issued for driver transgressions, with the amount varying depending on the severity of the incident and, once a year has passed since that particular offence, their points get wiped, meaning they have to be careful to avoid crossing that fateful 12-point threshold.

Multiple races had gone by without any transgressions on track, but Magnussen’s points were among multiple at Monza, with Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg also punished for different offences during the race.

Magnussen also becomes the first driver to reach the 12-point threshold to reach a race ban since the penalty point system was introduced, meaning he missed the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and will return in Singapore with zero penalty points on his licence once again.

Sergio Perez had been on eight for most of the season, but finally saw one fall away after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with more to follow after Singapore.

Eight penalty points

Fernando Alonso

  • Three points: Expire 24th March 2025. These were awarded for ‘potentially dangerous driving’ against George Russell during the 2024 Australian Grand Prix.
  • Three points: Expire 20th April 2025. These were awarded for causing a collision with Carlos Sainz during the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix Sprint.
  • Two points: Expire 30th June 2025. These were awarded for causing a collision with Zhou Guanyu during the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix.

Seven penalty points

Sergio Perez

  • Two points: Expire 24th September 2024. These were awarded for overtaking Fernando Alonso under Safety Car conditions at the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix.
  • Two points: Expire 24th September 2024. These were awarded for causing a collision with Kevin Magnussen at the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix.
  • Two points: Expire 26th November 2024. These were awarded for causing a collision with Lando Norris at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
  • One point: Expires 9th March 2025. This was awarded for an unsafe release in the pit lane during the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Five penalty points

Lance Stroll

  • Three points: Expire 17th November 2024. These were issued for overtaking under yellow flag conditions at the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
  • Two points: Expire 21st April 2025. These were awarded for causing a collision with Daniel Ricciardo at the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix.

Four penalty points

Nico Hulkenberg

  • Two penalty points: Expire 30th June 2025. These were issued for causing a collision with Fernando Alonso in the Sprint at the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix.
  • Two penalty points: Expire 1st September 2025. These were issued for causing a collision with Yuki Tsunoda at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen

  • Two points: Expire 19th November 2024. These were issued for forcing Charles Leclerc off track during the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
  • Two points: Expire 30th June 2025. These were awarded for causing a collision with Lando Norris at the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix.

Three penalty points

Esteban Ocon

  • One point: Expires 4th May 2025. This was issued for an unsafe release during the 2024 Miami Grand Prix Sprint.
  • Two points: Expire 26th May 2025. These were issued for causing a collision with Pierre Gasly during the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix.

Daniel Ricciardo

  • Two points: Expire 21st April 2025. These were awarded for overtaking Nico Hulkenberg under Safety Car conditions at the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix.
  • One point: Expire 1st September 2025. This was awarded for forcing Nico Hulkenberg off track at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix.

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Two penalty points

Valtteri Bottas

  • Two points: Expire 29th October 2024. Having had a clean licence all season, Bottas finally sullied his record for 2023 by picking up two penalty points after being found predominantly to blame for a collision between himself and Lance Stroll during the 2023 Mexican Grand Prix.

George Russell

  • Two points: Expire 19th November 2024. These were issued for causing a collision with Max Verstappen at the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix.

One penalty point

Carlos Sainz

  • One point: Expires 5th May 2025. This was issued for causing a collision with Oscar Piastri during the 2024 Miami Grand Prix.

Zero penalty points

Alex Albon

Pierre Gasly

Lewis Hamilton

Charles Leclerc

Kevin Magnussen

Lando Norris

Oscar Piastri

Yuki Tsunoda

Zhou Guanyu

Inactive F1 drivers with unexpired penalty points

Logan Sargeant

  • Two points: Expire 24th September 2024. These were awarded for causing a collision with Valtteri Bottas during the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix.
  • Two points: Expire 28th October 2024. These were awarded for a failure to comply with a yellow flag during qualifying for the 2023 Mexico City Grand Prix.
  • Two points: Expire 21st April 2025. These were awarded for overtaking under Safety Car conditions at the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix.

Read next: F1 points all-time rankings: Where do Hamilton, Verstappen and Alonso feature?

2023-03-07T13:59:32Z dg43tfdfdgfd