Mid-season 2024: Which drivers have the most penalty points?
Half of the 2024 calendar races have just been completed at Silverstone, UK. With 12 races done, many point penalties have been awarded. A look back at the drivers' Super Licences on the grid and their waiting time to get them back.
What are penalty points?
The penalty point system in Formula 1 was implemented to monitor the behavior of the drivers on the grid, with a race ban if a driver accumulates 12 points on his FIA Super License over a 12-month period. Once a year has passed since the infraction, the points are erased. When approaching the maximum allowable points, drivers must be careful not to exceed the 12-point limit. If the 12-point mark is reached, the driver will be suspended for one race and the points reset to zero.
Penalty points are awarded based on drivers’ infractions, and it is the seriousness of the incident that determines the number of points given. Introduced for the 2014 season, this system aims to penalize dangerous or irresponsible behaviors. No driver has yet reached the maximum of 12 points since the introduction of this scoring system 8 years ago.
The penalty points awarded in 2024
In 2024, penalty points in Formula 1 have already caused a lot of talk, notably because of several incidents involving numerous drivers. In total, 33 penalty points have been awarded since the start of the season.
The Danish driver Kevin Magnussen from Haas team is the most penalized driver since the beginning of the year. Now only two points away from a race ban, he received five penalty points during the Miami Grand Prix. The Danish driver made several controversial moves, particularly during a battle with Lewis Hamilton in the Sprint race, but also during his collision with Logan Sargeant. These five points add to the five he had already accumulated during the weekends in China and Saudi Arabia. These penalties place Magnussen at the top of the penalty points standings. He will have to be very cautious for the remaining 11 races if he wants to avoid being banned from racing.
Since the beginning of the season, it’s the Chinese Grand Prix that has caused the most penalties for Formula 1 drivers, with 5 penalty points awarded over the weekend to 5 different drivers. A two-point penalty on the Super License was awarded to Daniel Ricciardo and Logan Sargeant for both overtaking Nico Hülkenberg under safety car conditions during the race. 4 additional points were given to Kevin Magnussen and Lance Stroll for contact with another car. The final three points were attributed to Fernando Alonso for his contact with Carlos Sainz during the Saturday sprint race.
This year, many drivers have only received one penalty point. This is notably the case of Max Verstappen who received his first penalty points of the year after a collision with Lando Norris during the Austrian Grand Prix. Both cars suffered punctures after contact on the 64th lap and the FIA deemed that Verstappen had changed his trajectory while braking, leading to the collision. For this action, he received a 10-second penalty and two points on his Super License. Similarly, his teammate Sergio Pérez also received a one-point penalty on his license for a judged dangerous re-entry onto the track in Saudi Arabia.
A large majority of drivers have been penalized for collisions during the race with another car. This includes Esteban Ocon who received 2 penalty points in Monaco for his collision with Pierre Gasly and 1 penalty point he received for his collision in the pits with Charles Leclerc in Miami. Fernando Alonso, who already had 3 points on his Super License for dangerous driving in Australia, also received 2 points for his collision with Guanyu Zhou in Austria. The second Spanish driver on the grid, Carlos Sainz, also received a penalty of one point for his contact with Oscar Piastri in Miami.
Only Nico Hülkenberg was penalized with two points for pushing another driver off track boundaries.
For the moment, Aston Martin still holds the record for the highest number of penalty points between its drivers, with a total of 15 points combined for Alonso and Stroll over the two seasons. Red Bull closely follows with 12 points, eight of which are held by Sergio Perez.
Total penalty points for F1 drivers as of July 10, 2024
In addition to the many points awarded in 2024, some drivers are still concerned about the points they received in 2023. In reality, so, 14 drivers are still under scrutiny.
Kevin Magnussen: 10 points / 12
Kevin Magnussen, Haas driver, leads the penalty points standings with a total of 10 points. He received his first points during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for a collision with Alex Albon. He then accumulated additional points in China and Miami for various offenses, including collisions and gaining advantages by leaving the track.
Date of next erased points: 3 points on March 9, 2025
Logan Sargeant: 8 points / 12
Logan Sargeant has accumulated eight penalty points, six of which were last year and two this season. His infractions include collisions with Valtteri Bottas and overtaking under a yellow flag.
Date of next points erased: 2 points on September 17, 2024
Sergio Perez: 8 points / 12
Sergio Perez from Red Bull started the season with the most penalty points on the grid. He added one point this year for a dangerous track exit in Jeddah. Last year, he accumulated points for various incidents, including collisions and overtaking under safety car.
Date of next erased points: 1 point on September 17, 2024.
Fernando Alonso: 8 points / 12
Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin accumulated eight points in 2024, mainly for collisions and dangerous maneuvers in Australia, China, and Austria.
Date of next deleted points: 3 points on March 25, 2025
Lance Stroll: 5 points / 12
Lance Stroll received two additional points in China for a collision under the safety car. He had previously accumulated five points for infractions in 2023, including overtaking under yellow flags and collisions, but lost 2 points earlier this month.
Date of next erased points: 3 points on November 17, 2024
Lewis Hamilton: 4 points / 12
Lewis Hamilton has accumulated four penalty points for collisions that occurred in 2023, notably with Sergio Perez in Belgium and Oscar Piastri in Italy.
Date of next deleted points: 2 points on July 29, 2024
Max Verstappen: 4 points / 12
Max Verstappen received two penalty points in Austria for a collision with Lando Norris and two additional points last year in Las Vegas for forcing Charles Leclerc off the track.
Date of next erased points: 2 points on November 19, 2024
Esteban Ocon: 3 points / 12
Esteban Ocon has three points for incidents in the pit lane and a collision with his teammate Pierre Gasly in Monaco.
Next scheduled points deleted: 1 point on May 4, 2025
Nico Hülkenberg: 2 points / 12
Hülkenberg was given a two-point penalty for pushing Fernando Alonso off the track in Austria this year.
Date of next points erased: 2 points on June 29, 2025
Yuki Tsunoda: 2 points / 12
Yuki Tsunoda has two penalty points for a collision with George Russell in the Netherlands in 2023.
Date of the next points erased: 2 points on August 27, 2024
Zhou Guanyu: 2 points / 12
Zhou Guanyu has two points for a collision with Daniel Ricciardo in Hungary last year.
Next erased points date: 2 points on July 23, 2024.
Valtteri Bottas: 2 points / 12
Valtteri Bottas has been given two points for a collision with Lance Stroll at the 2023 Mexican Grand Prix.
Date of next points erased: 2 points on October 29, 2024
George Russell: 2 points / 12
George Russell received two points for a collision with Max Verstappen in Las Vegas in 2023.
Next erased points date: 2 points on November 19, 2024
Daniel Ricciardo: 2 points / 12
Daniel Ricciardo has two penalty points for overtaking Nico Hülkenberg under the safety car in China.
Date of next erased points: 2 points on April 21, 2025.
Carlos Sainz: 1 point / 12
Carlos Sainz received a point for a collision with Oscar Piastri at the Miami Grand Prix.
Date of next erased points: 1 point on May 5, 2025
