F1 penalty points: 5 biggest delinquents at the midway point of the season

As part of the F1 penalty points system, if a driver reaches the 12-point threshold, he is banned for a race. The system has been in place for a decade, but its true impact came to the fore last season when Kevin Magnussen got banned for a race.

Since then, the penalty points system has gotten a bigger spotlight. It arguably got a larger spotlight this season when Max Verstappen had racked up 11 F1 penalty points and was on the verge of being banned for a race.

The Dutchman was very close to the edge of getting banned for a race, but the expiry of two points means he's on a somewhat safer footing.

Max Verstappen, however, is not the only driver who is very close to danger when it comes to this, as there are a few others who need to tread carefully.

With that being said, as the F1 world enjoys the summer break, who have been the top five delinquents on the current grid? Let's take a look.

F1 Penalty Points: Who is close to a ban?

#5 Lance Stroll

Penalty Points: 6

Lance Stroll currently has six F1 penalty points on his license.

• Two points: Pushing another driver off track at the Canadian GP (expires on June 15, 2026)
• One point: Causing a collision with Charles Leclerc at the Monaco GP (expires on May 25, 2026)
• Two points: Causing a collision with Alex Albon at the Qatar GP (expires on December 1, 2025)

#4 Liam Lawson

Penalty Points: 6

Liam Lawson also has six F1 penalty points.

• One point: Causing a collision in the Miami GP (expires on May 3, 2026)
• Two points: Causing a collision in the Bahrain GP (expires on April 14, 2026)
• One point: Causing a collision in the Bahrain GP (expires on April 14, 2026)
• Two points: Causing a collision with Valtteri Bottas at the Qatar GP (expires on December 1, 2025)

#3 Oscar Piastri

Penalty Points: 6

Oscar Piastri almost copped a few penalty points at the F1 Austrian GP when he locked up his tires into his teammate. He currently has six penalty points.

• Two points: Erratic Braking in front of Max Verstappen before a restart (expires on July 6, 2026)
• Two points: Causing a collision with Franco Colapinto at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (expires on December 8, 2025)
• Two points: Causing a collision with Liam Lawson at the 2024 Brazilian GP (expires on November 2, 2025)

#2 Ollie Bearman

Penalty Points: 8

Ollie Bearman is now slowly moving into a more dangerous category where the British driver's errors are taking him closer to a ban. The rookie already at eight F1 penalty points in his career.

• Four points: Red Flag infringement in the pitlane during British GP (expires 6 July, 2026)
• Two points: Red Flag infringement in Monaco GP FP2 (expires on 23 May, 2026)
• Two points: Causing a collision with Franco Colapinto at the 2024 Brazilian GP (expires on November 2, 2025).

#1 Max Verstappen

Penalty Points: 9

Max Verstappen had a clean weekend in Hungary. However, the nine F1 penalty points on his license are still a concern.

• Three points: Causing a collision with George Russell during the 2025 F1 Spanish GP (expires on June 1, 2026)
• Two points: Causing a collision with Oscar Piastri at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (expires on December 8, 2025)
• One point: Driving unnecessarily slowly in the 2024 F1 Qatar GP Qualifying (expires on December 1, 2025)
• One point: VSC infringement in the 2024 F1 Brazilian GP Sprint (expires on November 1, 2025)
• Two points: Forcing Lando Norris off track during the 2024 F1 Mexican GP (expires on October 27, 2025)