How Max Verstappen could have been handed F1 BAN already

Newly published F1 guidelines from an official FIA statement have shown how Max Verstappen could have already faced a ban from the sport, as George Russell praised the added 'transparency'.

Four-time champion Verstappen was handed a 10-second time penalty for appearing to intentionally crash into Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix, something for which he was also handed three penalty points.

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The maximum given for a single incident is four, and that would have left Verstappen on 12 penalty points for the last 12 months, something that would have triggered an automatic race ban. However, he was given just the three points, and moved onto 11.

Yet it could have been a very different had Russell's race been compromised as a result, with both drivers fortunate that wasn't the case.

Had that have been the outcome, Verstappen would have received an additional penalty point for 'causing a collision with apparent deliberate or reckless intent', as stated in the official guidelines.

As it transpired, Verstappen moved to within one point of a race ban, and despite successfully navigating the Canadian GP without incident, he goes into this weekend's race in Austria at risk.

His 11-point tally will reduce to nine after Sunday's race providing he avoids any more disciplinary action, with his place at next month's British GP - and his world championship defence - under threat.

Verstappen apologised to his Red Bull team-mates following the coming together with his Mercedes counterpart, and was keen to put the matter behind him when speaking with reporters in Montreal last time out.

What are the FIA stewards penalty guidelines and why have they been made public?

F1's racing guidelines are in place to help FIA stewards judge on-track incidents, and have come under the spotlight over the past 12 months following a number of high-profile clashes.

The specific criteria has always been confidential, but the sport's governing body has now released the 2025 documents in an effort to improve transparency.

The latest version was drafted following a meeting with the drivers at the 2024 Qatar GP, with any further alterations subject to ongoing consultations with team representatives.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said: "To demonstrate the rigour with which they [stewards] pursue their role, we are today publishing the Penalty and Driving Standards Guidelines that assist them with their decisions.

"This will give fans and members of the media a much deeper and more accurate insight into how decisions are made in Formula 1.

"The Penalty Guidelines have been a core tool for almost a decade while the Driving Standards Guidelines introduced in 2022 and constantly updated have brought the most important voices, those of the drivers, to the table to create a genuine reference for certain racing situations."

Grand Prix Drivers Association director Russell added: "Greater transparency within the governance of our sport is an important issue and this is a useful step in that direction.

"Hopefully it will be beneficial for the sport to give the media and fans a clearer understanding of the rules of engagement when we're racing on track, and to help them understand how the stewards reach their decisions."

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