Red Bull F1 team provide penalty points update as Max Verstappen race ban looms

Red Bull

Red Bull provide penalty points update as Max Verstappen race ban looms

Red Bull may be set to lose their four-time champion

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 6 June 2025 12:12

Red Bull have posted an update on FIA penalty points, just days after Max Verstappen edged closer to a race ban for picking up some of those points.

The four-time world champion appeared to intentionally crash into the Mercedes of George Russell at last weekend's Spanish Grand Prix, resulting in a 10-second time penalty and three penalty points picked up on his superlicence.

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Those three penalty points mean that Verstappen is now on 11 within the last 12 months, with one more being enough for a one-race ban from F1.

With none of his penalty points expiring until June 30, Verstappen has to compete at the next two race weekends while walking a tightrope, knowing that a ban at this stage - when he's already 49 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri - could be fatal for his championship chances.

Red Bull would likely have to replace Verstappen with one of the drivers at Racing Bulls - Isack Hadjar or Liam Lawson - in the event of a ban for their star man, but that would then cause a headache for their junior team.

Now, Red Bull's official website have posted an explainer about F1 penalty points, how they are picked up, and how they can lead to a race ban, just days after their driver landed himself in hot water with race stewards.

The guide is designed to explain to fans why the Dutchman may miss an upcoming race on the 2025 calendar.

Reaction to Verstappen's Spanish GP crash

While Verstappen has come under intense scrutiny from all corners for his move on Russell, the 27-year-old has also been defended by some, who claim his Red Bull team are to blame for their miscommunication.

Verstappen's race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase told the champion to let Russell past him for fourth place after an earlier incident between the pair, an incident that the FIA later confirmed they took no further action on.

What's more, Red Bull's strategy to pit Verstappen during a late safety car even though he only had hard tyres left in his garage led to frustration for the Dutchman, and left many pundits scratching their heads.

In his post-race interview, Russell warned Verstappen to think of the impact his actions have on people who look up to him, while Verstappen himself was not too bothered by the furore caused by his move.

The Dutchman did take to social media earlier this week to say that the move 'shouldn't have happened', but he stopped short of an apology.

Red Bull Max Verstappen Mercedes FIA George Russell Spanish Grand Prix