F1 Penalty Points: Max Verstappen on verge of race ban as Red Bull star given additional FIA punishment

Max Verstappen remains on the cusp of a one-race ban from the sport, as his Red Bull F1 team-mate Yuki Tsunoda was also handed two penalty points during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend.

Verstappen has just one more race to survive in Austria next time out before two of his penalty points expire on June 30.

F1 HEADLINES: Max Verstappen hits back as disqualification statement issued at Canadian GP

If the Dutchman does pick up one more penalty point at the Red Bull Ring, he will be banned for the British GP, but his good behaviour in Canada means he has given himself a better chance of surviving what would be a huge blow to his championship chances.

However, another Red Bull star has now started accumulating points, with Tsunoda's two penalty points potentially causing even more concern for the team.

Tsunoda was handed a 10-place grid penalty for overtaking Oscar Piastri under red-flag conditions in FP3, something that dropped him right down to 18th due to penalties for other drivers behind him as well.

The FIA race stewards saw the incident as serious enough to also give Tsunoda two penalty points on his Super Licence, and that means there are now 13 active drivers with at least one point.

12 penalty points accrued over a 12-month period is enough for a one-race ban, and all points expire after a year.

F1 Driver Penalty Points

How real is the threat of a Max Verstappen F1 ban?

The threat of a Verstappen ban is very real, although it has now significantly diminished due to him surviving the Canadian GP weekend without picking up any penalty points.

Verstappen is going to have to once again be on his best behaviour in Austria next time out, a track where he received two points last season for causing a collision with Lando Norris which left the Brit out of the race.

The Dutchman is known for racing right on the very edge, which is partly why he has been so successful in his career, claiming 65 race victories and four consecutive world championships.

Verstappen's 10-second time penalty given to him at the Spanish GP was extremely damaging to his hopes of claiming a fifth consecutive world drivers' title, but a race ban would all but end his chances entirely, especially if Piastri and Norris managed to achieve top-three finishes while the Dutchman was away from the track.

READ MORE: FIA announce George Russell punishment verdict at Canadian Grand Prix

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