Which driver has the most penalty points in F1 history?
A driver headed for championship glory also tops the list of F1 drivers to collect the most penalty points.
Max Verstappen has racked up the most F1 penalty points since the system was introduced in 2014.
F1 introduced the system as a way of punishing poor driving standards. The rules state that if a driver accrues 12 penalty points over a 12-month period, they will receive a one-race ban. After 12 months, the points expire.
Haas’ Kevin Magnussen became the first driver in F1 history to serve a one-race ban for accumulating 12 points in a year at the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Ex-F1 driver Romain Grosjean was also forced to sit on the sidelines for triggering a huge startline crash at the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix, but this punishment was handed out prior to the introduction of the penalty points system.
Despite Magnussen making history for the wrong reasons, it is actually Red Bull’s soon-to-be four-time world champion who has received the most points.
Since making his F1 debut with Toro Rosso in 2015, Verstappen has picked up a total of 39 penalty points in 206 grand prix starts - a record tally. The Dutchman has two more penalty points than Magnussen, and five more than Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.
Verstappen currently has five penalty points on his licence after two from last year’s Las Vegas Grand Prix expired on November 18.
The other five he accumulated in Austria, Mexico and Brazil this season won’t be removed until next year.
Verstappen notably picked up seven of his penalty points during his intense title fight with Lewis Hamilton in 2021. The most penalty points he accrued during a single season was in his debut campaign in 2015 - when he received eight.
F1 drivers with the most penalty points (top 10)
- Max Verstappen - 39
- Kevin Magnussen - 37
- Sergio Perez - 34
- Sebastian Vettel - 32
- Lance Stroll - 29
- Daniil Kvyat - 27
- Fernando Alonso - 26
- Romain Grosjean - 23
- Nico Hulkenberg - 22
- Daniel Ricciardo - 21
What Verstappen’s 39 penalty points were for
2015 Monaco GP - collision with Romain Grosjean (two)
2015 Hungarian GP - Safety Car speeding (three)
2015 Abu Dhabi GP - leaving the track and gaining an advantage (one)
2015 Abu Dhabi GP - ignoring blue flags (two)
2016 Mexican GP - leaving the track and gaining an advantage (one)
2017 Hungarian GP - collision with Daniel Ricciardo (two)
2017 United States GP - leaving the track and gaining an advantage (one)
2018 Chinese GP - collision with Sebastian Vettel (two)
2018 Italian GP - incident with Valtteri Bottas (two)
2018 Russian GP - yellow flag speeding (two)
2018 Japanese GP - rejoining track unsafely (one)
2019 Monaco GP - unsafe release (two)
2019 Mexican GP - yellow flag speeding (two)
2021 Italian GP - collision with Lewis Hamilton (two)
2021 Qatar GP - yellow flag speeding (two)
2021 Saudi Arabian GP - leaving the track and gaining an advantage (one)
2021 Saudi Arabian GP - collision with Lewis Hamilton (two)
2022 Brazilian GP - collision with Lewis Hamilton (two)
2023 Las Vegas GP - forced Charles Leclerc off track (two)
2024 Austrian GP - collision with Lando Norris (two)
2024 Mexican GP - forced Lando Norris off track (two)
2024 Brazilian GP - Virtual Safety Car infringement (one)
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