The 2025 F1 season is just a few weeks away. At the end of February, all 10 teams will be in action at the Bahrain International Circuit for pre-season testing, with the pre-season Australian Grand Prix scheduled for March 16.
over the next few weeks Get ready for what could be a fascinating 2025 F1 season. The final campaign before the sport will undergo a series of changes in 2026. Next year will see Audi join the grid as a working operation – taking over for Sauber – Cadillac will join the sport as the 11th team, and a whole new set of technical regulations has been enacted.
Today's topic?Each driver stands regarding FIA Superlicence penalty points.
What are FIA penalty points?
Similar to a road driving license, F1 drivers operate under an FIA Super License. This can be obtained based on lower category results.
To promote track safety and keep drivers in line, superlicense penalty points are one of the potential penalties that stewards can hand out for violations. Penalty points are reserved for more serious incidents, such as causing an accident or violating the rules regarding yellow and/or red flags.
If a driver reaches 12 penalty points on their FIA Superlicence over a period of one calendar year, they will suffer a one-race penalty ban. Last season, Kevin Magnussen missed the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after accumulating enough penalty points to trigger a one-race ban in the previous race, the Italian Grand Prix.
Penalty points will remain on a driver's superlicence for one calendar year, after which they will expire.
Which F1 drivers will have penalty points in 2025?
There are 12 drivers with at least one penalty point on their FIA Superlicence heading into the 2025 F1 season.
One of those drivers is a real-life driver champion, and the driver is at the highest risk of one race ban.
max verstappen
Max Verstappen may have won his fourth straight Drivers' Championship last year, but he enters 2025 as the driver most at risk for a one-race penalty. With it not expiring until the end of June, Verstappen will have to navigate the first 11 race weekends without accumulating four additional penalty points.
- 2 points: Verstappen's two oldest penalty points expire on June 30, 2025. These were communicated when Verstappen was judged to have caused a collision with Lando Norris at the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix.
- 2 POINTS: Verstappen scored 2 more points at the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix. They expire on October 27, 2025.
- One point: Verstappen was given a one-point penalty for the 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix. Those points will expire on November 1, 2025.
- One point: Verstappen assessed a one-point penalty for the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix, with race officials determining he was driving unnecessarily slowly on his cool-down lap. This penalty point will expire on December 1, 2025.
- TWO POINTS: Verstappen collided with Oscar Piastri on the opening lap of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and was hit with a two-point penalty. It expires on December 8, 2025.
Max Verstappen is not the only driver sitting on eight points to start the 2025 F1 season, as veteran Fernando Alonso also enters the year with eight penalty points on his superlicence.
However, Alonso is much closer to seeing the oldest of these points expire.
- THREE POINTS: Alonso was hit with a three-point penalty for 'potentially dangerous driving' during the 2024 Australian Grand Prix. Race officials said Mercedes driver George Russell was trying to chase Alonso around the track, causing Alonso to enter Turn 6 “erratically” and resulting in dirty air behind him causing Russell to lose control. I determined that it crashed. These 3 points expire on March 24, 2025.
- THREE POINTS: Alonso was given a three-point penalty for causing a collision with Carlos Sain Jr. during the F1 sprint race at the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix. These 3 points will expire on April 20, 2025.
- 2 POINTS: Alonso was judged to have caused a collision with Zhou Guanyu at the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix and was given a 2-point penalty. These points will expire on June 30, 2025.
Lance Stroll
- TWO POINTS: Lance Stroll was given a two-point penalty for causing a collision with Daniel Ricciardo at the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix. They expire on April 21, 2025.
- TWO POINTS: Stroll was also hit with a two-point penalty for causing a collision with Alexander Albon at the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix. These two points will expire on December 1, 2025.
4 penalty points
Veteran driver Nico Hulkenberg moved to Sauber in 2026, having made a move to Sauber in 2025.
He brings four penalty points along with his years of experience.
- TWO POINTS: Hülkenberg was given a two-point penalty for the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix for causing a collision with Fernando Alonso. These points will expire on June 30, 2025.
- TWO POINTS: Hülkenberg assessed a two-point penalty for causing a collision with Yuki Tsunoda at the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix. They expire on December 1, 2025.
Oscar Piastri
Oscar Piastri heads into the 2025 season with four FIA Superlicence penalty points
- Two points: Piastri was hit with two penalty points when race officials ruled he caused a collision with Liam Lawson during the 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix. These points will expire on November 2, 2025.
- Two points: Piastri was also judged to have caused a collision with Franco Colapinto during the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and given a two-point penalty. These points will expire on December 8, 2025.
Esteban Ocon
Like Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon has a new home in 2025 when he moves from Alpine to Haas.
He brings with him three penalty points to his new team.
- One point: During the F1 sprint race at the Miami Grand Prix, Ocon was given a one-point penalty for an unsafe release in the pit lane. Those points will expire on May 4, 2025.
- Two points: Race officials have determined that Ocon caused a collision with then-instructor Pierre Gasly on the opening lap of the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix. Those two points expire on May 26, 2025, and that incident may have doomed his tenure at Alpine.
land norris
3 penalty points
Lando Norris enters the 2025 season aiming for his first drivers' championship. However, he also has three penalty points on his superlicence for an incident at the Qatar Grand Prix.
- Three points: Race officials ruled that Norris could not have been slowed due to double yellow flags during the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix. In addition to the 10 second penalty, he dropped him from P2 to the back of the field, but although he recovered to finish 10th, he was given a three point penalty. These three points will expire on December 1, 2025.
Oliver Bearman
2 penalty points
Super sub Oliver Bearman has earned a full-time spot at Haas next year thanks to his tremendous relief performances last season. However, he enters the year with a pair of penalty points on his FIA Superlicense.
- TWO POINTS: Bearman was given a two-point penalty for causing a collision with Franco Colapinto during the 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix. These points will expire on November 2, 2025.
Alexander Albon
- Two points: Alexander Albon has been given a two-point penalty for the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix. These points will expire on December 1, 2025.
Liam Lawson
2 penalty points
Liam Lawson has earned promotion to Red Bull for the 2025 campaign, taking over from Sergio Perez. However, he started the year with two penalty points on his FIA Superlicense.
- TWO POINTS: Lawson was given a two-point penalty for causing a collision with Valtteri Bottas during the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix. These points will expire on December 1, 2025.
1 penalty point
Carlos Sainz Jr. has earned one point on his FIA Super License and will head to Williams for the 2025 season.
- One point: Sainz hit with a one-point penalty at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix. Race officials determined that he had caused a collision with Oscar Piastri. These points expire on May 5, 2025.
george russell
1 penalty point
Which F1 drivers have a clean slate heading into 2025?
There is a clean slate of seven drivers on the grid to start the 2025 season. Those include a handful of incoming rookies as well as some veterans.
- andrea kimi antonelli
- Gabriel Bortleto
- jack doohan
- Pierre Gasly
- lewis hamilton
- charles leclerc
- Hiroki Tsunoda
Will inactive drivers stand out penalty points ahead of 2025?
There are also five drivers who may not be on the grid when 2025 starts, but still have unexpired points left on their FIA Superlicences.
Valtteri Bottas
5 penalty points
Valtteri Bottas returns to Mercedes as reserve driver for the 2025 F1 season. However, he currently has five points on his FIA Superlicense.
- Three points: Bottas had a rather eventful Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He was given a three-point penalty for causing a collision with Kevin Magnussen. These three points will expire on December 8, 2025.
- Two points: Bottas was given two more penalty points in Abu Dhabi, these for causing a collision with Sergio Pérez. These also expire on 8 December 2025.
Daniel Ricardo
3 penalty points
- Two points: Daniel Ricciardo was given a two-point penalty for overtaking Nico Hulkenberg under safe car conditions at the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix. These points will expire on April 21, 2025.
- One point: In another incident involving Hülkenberg, Ricciardo was adjudged to have forced him off the track at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix. That point will expire on September 1, 2025.
Logan Sargent
2 penalty points
Logan Sargent will lose his seat at Williams midway through 2024 and a return to F1 may not be in the cards, but he does have two points on his FIA Superlicence.
- Two points: Sargent was given a two-point penalty at the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix for overtaking under a Safety Car. These two points will expire on April 21, 2025.
Franco Colapinto
2 penalty points
He also brings a pair of penalty points with him to his new team.
- TWO POINTS: Colapinto was given a two-point penalty for the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix for causing a collision with Liam Lawson. These points will expire on October 27, 2025.
sergio perez
1 penalty point
- One point: Pérez was given a one-point penalty at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for an unsafe release. That penalty point will expire on March 8, 2025.
