Formula 1 Penalty Points 2026: The Current Overview of Penalties

(Motorsport-Total.com) – Penalty points – so-called “Penalty-Points” – play an important role in Formula 1 nowadays. In addition to sanctions on the track, drivers can also be assigned points for offenses – similar to the traffic register in Flensburg. And like “normal” car drivers, Formula 1 drivers also have to watch when they have exceeded a certain limit.

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How many points are allowed?
The rule is: If you collect twelve points within one year, you will be suspended for one race.

The system was introduced a few years ago to set a visible and fixed limit for repeat offenders. In 2012, Lotus driver Romain Grosjean was suspended for one race: He had committed several offenses during the season, and the serious accident in the first corner at Spa-Francorchamps was the last straw.

Drivers collect points for various actions. This can range from collisions on the track, cutting corners, to ignoring flag signals. Since the introduction, only one driver has reached twelve points: Kevin Magnussen in 2024.

You can find the current status in our Formula 1 penalty points table.

Article A3.3.1 b) of the regulations states: “If a penalty other than a warning or a fine according to the ISC or Article B1.10.4 is imposed, the stewards may assign penalty points on the super license of an F1 driver.”

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“If an F1 driver has accumulated 12 penalty points on his super license, he will be suspended for the next competition, after which the 12 points will be removed from his super license. Such penalty points remain on the F1 driver’s super license for a period of 12 months and are removed again on the 12-month anniversary of their imposition.”

The exact overview of individual penalty points:

In addition to penalty points, warnings – so-called reprimands – can also become an issue and lead to a penalty.

This is the case according to Article B1.10.4 f) of the Formula 1 regulations if a driver collects five warnings within the same season. Then there is a penalty of a ten-position grid drop. If the offense occurs during a race, the penalty applies to the next event the driver participates in.

However, there is one condition: Of the five warnings, four must have been given for a driving offense (“Driving”). At the end of the season, all warnings are deleted.

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