F1 drivers' penalty points: Driver facing rare race ban after Chinese GP CHAOS

Photo: © IMAGO

Chinese Grand Prix

F1 drivers' penalty points: Driver facing rare race ban after Chinese GP CHAOS

Which F1 driver is close to receiving a race ban?

Yara Elshebiny

Monday 22 April 2024 12:57

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Sunday's race at the Chinese Grand Prix proved to be a hotspot for driver infringements.

A chaotic weekend in Shanghai saw a big chunk of the F1 grid rack up penalty points on their Super Licences.

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Daniel Ricciardo's overtake under safety car conditions resulted in a hefty three-place grid penalty for the upcoming Miami Sprint race, coupled with two penalty points to his licence. While initially slapped with a 10-second time penalty, the Australian's retirement from the race meant the grid penalty came into effect.

Lance Stroll found himself in hot water as well, picking up a 10-second time penalty and two penalty points for making contact with Ricciardo while cars were getting ready to restart from a safety car period.

Williams' Logan Sargeant wasn't spared either. His move to get past Nico Hulkenberg under safety car conditions resulted in a 10-second penalty and two points on his licence – taking him up to eight, with none coming off until September, putting him at serious risk of a ban.

Adding to the chaos, Kevin Magnussen was handed a 10-second penalty and two penalty points on his licence for a collision with Yuki Tsunoda, which forced the Japanese driver out of the race altogether.

But wait, there's more! Fernando Alonso was also penalised with a 10-second time penalty and three penalty points on his licence for his collision with Ferrari's Carlos Sainz during Saturday's Sprint race.

These incidents raise a crucial question - which drivers are at risk of a race ban?

F1 Driver Penalty Points

Alongside time penalties, drivers could also carry penalty points for driving infringements. These points expire after 12 months, but if a driver collects 12 points within that time, they get a race ban.

Sergio Perez and Sargeant currently sit on the edge with eight penalty points each, just four away from a potential race ban.

GPFans has compiled a list of the points currently accrued by drivers and when they will expire. This article will be updated throughout the year.

Red Bull

Max Verstappen - Two points

Where	Points	Expires	Reason
Las Vegas GP	Two	19th November 2024	Forcing Charles Leclerc off track

Sergio Perez - Eight points

Where	Points	Expires	Reason
Singapore GP	One	17th September 2024	Causing a collision
Japanese GP	Four	24th September 2024	Causing a collision x2
Abu Dhabi GP	Two	26th November 2024	Causing a collision
Saudi Arabian GP	One	9th March 2025	Unsafe release