Report: The penalty points of each driver
Before the 2025 season starts, it's time to look at penalty points. Alonso and Verstappen are the most at risk and face the possibility of a race suspension, while seven of the 20 drivers have not received any yet.
The threat of suspension looms over certain drivers. Although F1 has not yet kicked off its season, the threat of suspension hangs over some drivers. Some already know they must be vigilant to avoid a race suspension. As a reminder, the FIA regulations allocate 12 points to each driver on their Super License, which they must maintain for 12 months. If these 12 units are exceeded, the driver in question must serve a suspension for the race following their last offense. A sentence that befell Kevin Magnussen in 2024.
The Dane, penalized several times by the FIA, notably in Miami, had an incident with Pierre Gasly at Monza. While the Frenchman did not see this battle as dangerous, the FIA did not share the same view and imposed a time penalty on him during the race, but above all two penalty points, the last two units remaining on his Super License. At the next Grand Prix, on the Baku track, Haas had to replace Magnussen with Oliver Bearman. While this sanction is very rare (Magnussen is to date the only one to have received it), it could still be applied next season, particularly for two drivers.
Two world champions on the edge
Among the most at-risk drivers are two world champions: Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso. Both men have received a total of eight penalty points each. However, the situation is more favorable for the Spaniard. Indeed, the former Renault driver will regain three points on March 24, 2025, which is the second Grand Prix of the season (he received this sanction for potentially dangerous driving during the Australian Grand Prix that caused George Russell’s retirement). Three more points will be returned to him on April 20, when he was deemed responsible for a collision with his compatriot Carlos Sainz during the sprint race in China. If the double world champion manages to stay clean during the early races, he should be able to go through the season without pressure.
For Verstappen, the risk is higher. The Dutch four-time world champion will have to wait until June 30 to recover his first points (two units after being found guilty of contact with Lando Norris during the Austrian Grand Prix), just after the 11th Grand Prix of the season. If 2025 starts the same way the 2024 season ended, with a Dutchman having to fight, sometimes beyond the limits with the McLarens, he could become the first reigning world champion to receive a race suspension.
10 other active drivers have also been penalized.
Nevertheless, they are not the only ones to have been targeted by the FIA, as 10 other drivers have also had points deducted from their F1 licenses. Among them are Nico Hülkenberg, Lance Stroll, and Oscar Piastri, all of whom have accumulated four penalty points.
On their side, Esteban Ocon and Lando Norris have three each. The Frenchman notably lost two points when he collided with his teammate Pierre Gasly in Monaco. Meanwhile, the British vice-world champion received his three penalty points at the Qatar Grand Prix when he did not sufficiently slow down while a double yellow flag was being waved.
Oliver Bearman, Alexander Albon, and Liam Lawson each have two. The Briton, a former champion of German and Italian F4, caused a collision with Franco Colapinto in Brazil. Additionally, the Williams driver and the New Zealander from Racing Bulls were both penalized during the same Grand Prix in Qatar (Albon for causing a crash with Kevin Magnussen, Lawson for a collision with Valtteri Bottas).
Finally, Carlos Sainz and George Russell only lost one point throughout the entire last season, so they should not be worried about any sanctions in 2025.
Seven drivers without any penalty points
Serenity is even greater concerning seven drivers. In 12 months, they have not been penalized by the FIA. However, this observation needs to be nuanced for three of them. Indeed, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Jack Doohan are part of this list. For the first two mentioned, the reason is simple: in 2025, they will start in F1 full-time. For the Australian, the chances of him receiving a penalty were slim as he only competed in the final race in Abu Dhabi. Conversely, Gasly, Tsunoda, and the two Ferrari drivers Leclerc and Hamilton did not receive a penalty despite having completed all the Grand Prix of the season, an achievement to be noted.
Penalized drivers … but who will no longer be in F1
Among the list of penalized drivers are also those who will not be in F1 next season, or have even bid farewell to F1. For example, there’s Bottas. The Finn, who had gone through 23 Grand Prix without a hitch, unfortunately experienced a difficult final race and was responsible for two incidents earning him five penalty points.
On his side, Ricciardo has lost three units (two in China and one in Monza), points he will likely never recover since he left F1 prematurely, replaced by Liam Lawson after the Singapore Grand Prix. Finally, Alex Albon’s former Williams teammates, Logan Sargeant and Franco Colapinto, have only 10 points left on their Super License. While the American is unlikely to return to F1, the Argentine still has his chances with rumors suggesting a contract of only five races for Jack Doohan, Alpine’s driver. In the event of underperformance during these five events, Colapinto could join the French team.
If F1 is expected to offer us a fabulous spectacle in 2025, we will also need to keep an eye on the penalties. Possible race suspensions could indeed further enliven a season that already promises to be exciting.
