Here is a detailed list of Max Verstappen’s penalties over the last 12 months – Following the controversial Spanish GP incident the reigning world champion currently holds 11 F1 penalty points, just one away from an automatic race ban.
Verstappen was slapped with a 10-second time penalty and three penalty points on his FIA superlicence for ‘deliberate’ collision with Mercedes’ George Russell late in the race.
As the 2025 Formula 1 championship heads into the critical Canadian and Austrian Grands Prix, the potential for an unprecedented suspension looms large as the Red Bull driver now holds 11 points, with 12 to a driver’s name over 12 months triggering a race ban.
The F1 penalty points system was introduced back in 2014 to promote safer and fairer racing by tracking and penalizing repeated or serious breaches of the sporting regulations.
The system, initially implemented with Romain Grosjean’s ban after the notorious 2012 Spa first-lap crash, is designed to deter reckless driving and ensure that persistent offenders face meaningful consequences.
Verstappen’s current tally of 11 points is the highest on the grid and with two more races before any points expire, he faces a real risk of becoming the first Formula 1 world champion to be sidelined by a ban on his FIA superlicence.
A detailed breakdown of Max Verstappen’s penalties over the past year reveals a pattern of high-stakes incidents and on-track aggression.
Max Verstappen’s penalties & F1 penalty points over the last 12 months
Collision with Russell during 2025 Spanish GP (three points)
The most recent addition to his F1 penalty points tally came at the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix where he was involved in a controversial collision with George Russell.
In the closing stages of the race, Verstappen having been instructed by his team to let Russell through after an earlier incident at Turn 1 appeared to deliberately accelerate and collide with the Mercedes at Turn 5.
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The stewards deemed Verstappen “undoubtedly” responsible for the crash imposing a 10-second time penalty that dropped him from fifth to tenth in the final classification and more significantly, adding three F1 penalty points to his licence—the most severe single sanction he has received in the past year.
However, the Spanish Grand Prix penalty was not an isolated event. Verstappen’s accumulation of points has been steady and in several cases the result of high-profile clashes with other leading drivers.
Collision with Norris at the 2024 Austrian GP (two points)
On June 30, 2024, at the Austrian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen was handed two penalty points for causing a collision with Lando Norris.
Forcing Norris off during the 2024 Mexico City GP (two points)
Later in the season at the Mexico City Grand Prix on October 27, 2024 he received another two points for forcing Norris off the track—a move that many observers saw as emblematic of Verstappen’s uncompromising approach to wheel-to-wheel racing.
Below VSC delta during 2024 Brazilian Sprint (one point)
Verstappen’s infractions have not been limited to race-day collisions. During the Brazilian Grand Prix Sprint on November 1, 2024, he was found to have been under the minimum Virtual Safety Car (VSC) delta time, earning him a single F1 penalty point.
The FIA’s verdict indicated that Verstappen gained an advantage by being 0.63 seconds below the minimum time when the VSC ended despite his attempts to correct the error. Such technical infringements while less dramatic than race-ending crashes still contribute to the overall tally.
Slow driving during 2024 Qatar GP qualifying (one point)
Qualifying sessions have also proven problematic for Verstappen. At the Qatar Grand Prix on December 1, 2024 he was sanctioned for driving unnecessarily slowly on a cooldown lap during qualifying, receiving another penalty point.
Collision with Piastri during 2024 Abu Dhabi GP (two points)
A week later, at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 8 Verstappen was handed two more points for causing a collision with Oscar Piastri, further compounding his disciplinary woes.
The severity of Verstappen’s situation is underscored by the rarity of such high penalty point totals among leading drivers. The closest driver behind him is Liam Lawson who has only five points while most of the grid has four or fewer.
