Max Verstappen at risk of F1 race BAN after Spanish Grand Prix drama

Max Verstappen, Red Bull, FIA, Imola, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

Formula 1

Max Verstappen at risk of F1 race BAN after Spanish Grand Prix drama

Verstappen has been punished for his move into George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix

Originally written by Chris Deeley. This version is a translation.

Monday 2 June 2025 19:00

Max Verstappen has placed himself at further risk of a Formula 1 race ban after a controversial incident with a rival at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Three penalty points were added to Verstappen's FIA super licence after he slammed into the side of George Russell's Mercedes in Barcelona.

Neither was taken out of the race by the incident, or even lost a spot on track, crossing the finish line in fourth and fifth. However, Verstappen was demoted to tenth by race stewards, given a 10-second penalty for causing a collision.

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That penalty, and the three penalty points he was handed after the race, mean that a single penalty point next time out in Canada, or during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend, would see him pass the 12-point limit and be suspended for a race.

Verstappen's already slim chances of challenging for the drivers' championship were torn to shreds this weekend, not only by his one-point haul in Barcelona but also the lack of impact of a new technical directive about front wing flexibility – which rivals had hoped would stymie the dominance of McLaren. It did not.

Verstappen's F1 penalty points

Position	Driver	Team	Gap
Date	Event	Reason for Penalty	Points Incurred	Expiration Date
June 30, 2024	Austrian Grand Prix	Causing a collision with Lando Norris	2	June 30, 2025
October 27, 2024	Mexico City Grand Prix	Forcing Lando Norris off track	2	October 27, 2025
November 1, 2024	Brazilian Grand Prix Sprint	Being under the minimum VSC delta time	1	November 1, 2025
December 1, 2024	Qatar Grand Prix	Driving unnecessarily slowly on a cooldown lap during qualifying	1	December 1, 2025
December 8, 2024	Abu Dhabi Grand Prix	Causing a collision with Oscar Piastri	2	December 8, 2025
June 1, 2025	Spanish Grand Prix	Causing a collision with George Russell	3	June 1, 2026

F1 Driver Penalty Points

Position	Driver	Team
Driver	Team	Penalty Points
Max Verstappen	Red Bull	11
Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	6
Jack Doohan	Alpine	4
Oscar Piastri	McLaren	4
Nico Hulkenberg	Sauber	4
Ollie Bearman	Haas	4
Lando Norris	McLaren	3
Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	3
Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	2
Carlos Sainz	Williams	2
Alex Albon	Williams	2
George Russell	Mercedes	1
Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	0
Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	0
Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	0
Pierre Gasly	Alpine	0
Yuki Tsunoda	Red Bull	0
Isack Hadjar	Racing Bulls	0
Gabriel Bortoleto	Sauber	0
Esteban Ocon	Haas	0