How many penalty points do drivers currently have?

Reigning champion Max Verstappen will receive a one-race ban, should he pick up any penalty points in his next two races, albeit ten other drivers also have penalty points on their licence. F1Technical's senior writer Balazs Szabo reveals what the current situation looks like.

In 2014, Formula One's governing body, the FIA introduced a penalty points system. According to the system, penalty points are given for a range of offences, with points handed out based on the severity of the incident.

These include causing collisions, driving too slowly in pit lanes and overtaking while a red flag is being waved. Once drivers hit 12 points, they are banned for one race and all points are removed once their ban is served.

To date, the only driver to have been suspended for a race because of penalty points was former Haas driver Kevin Magnussen. The Dane served a one-race ban at last season's Azerbaijan Grand Prix as he picked up 12 penalty points within a 12-month period.

Currently, twelve of twenty drivers have penalty points on their licence. George Russell has collected a single point on his licence, while Carlos Sainz, Alexander Albon, Franco Colapinto and Fernando Alonso have a total of two points. Lando Norris and Lance Stroll have three points, followed by Oscar Piastri, Ollie Bearman and Nico Hulkenberg who all sit on four points.

Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson has currently six points while reigning champion Max Verstappen has been given two penalty points last time out at Barcelona, taking him to 11 penalty points for the past 12 months. Of his 11 penalty points, 2 will expire on 30 June 2025.

As for the Dutchman, he was in contention for victory at the Spanish Grand Prix as he opted for an ambitious three-stop strategy.

However, a late safety car saw the field close up, and the Dutchman suffered a huge oversteer exiting the final corner as the safety car peeled into the pits. As a result of it, he lost his third place to Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.

Mercedes driver George Russell also launched multiple attacks on Verstappen. Red Bull instructed Verstappen to hand the place back to Russell following their scarp at Turn 1.

With just three laps left to go, the Dutchman slowed down at Turn 5, and Russell completed the move on the outside, but the reigning champion appeared to speed back up again, leading to contact between the pair.

The four-time F1 champion would eventually let Russell through into Turn 11, but the stewards elected to hand out a ten-second time penalty to Verstappen for causing a collision at Turn 5.