
Penalty factors imply an F1 driver could possibly be banned from racing.
From 2014 onwards, F1 stewards will award penalties along with the penalty factors added to a driver’s superlicence.
If a driver accumulates 12 penalty factors in a 12-month interval, she or he shall be banned from racing.
The primary driver to be suspended at a System 1 Grand Prix for accruing 12 penalty factors was Kevin Magnussen for the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Penalty factors in F1 are used to discourage habits, just like street customers.
Stewards will apply penalty factors to F1 drivers at their discretion, relying on the severity of the incident.
One yr after the precise incident and demerit, the demerit shall be erased.
This implies F1 drivers might discover themselves on the point of a racing ban in the event that they method the dreaded 12 factors mark. They need to stay on the fitting facet of the laws till a yr after the penalty is handed down, some factors disappear from their information.
Olly Bearman heads into the brand new marketing campaign on the highest danger of being banned from racing.
The Haas driver has been given 10 penalty factors, with two extra to go and an automated race suspension.
The earliest penalty factors on Bearman’s license will expire is Could 23.
Which means Bearman must stroll a penalty tightrope and be on his greatest habits till the Canadian Grand Prix.
Lance Stroll and Liam Lawson have the subsequent highest penalty factors, with six factors every.
Eight drivers, together with present world champion Lando Norris, are clear and can begin the 2026 F1 season with zero penalty factors.
Valtteri Bottas won’t obtain penalty factors, however the returning Finn will obtain a five-place grid penalty for his Cadillac debut on the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
Bottas was disciplined after colliding with Magnussen on the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, his final race for Sauber.
The totals for every driver and their respective causes for penalty factors are outlined under.
What number of penalty factors does every F1 driver have?
| penalty factors | F1 driver | cause | Factors expire |
| 10 | ollie bearman | 2025 Monaco GP, 2 factors for passing crimson flag in free follow | Could 23, 2026 |
| 2025 British Grand Prix: 4 factors because of crimson flag crash throughout driving | July 5, 2026 | ||
| 2025 Italian GP, 2 factors because of collision with Carlos Sainz | September 7, 2026 | ||
| 1 level for collision with Liam Lawson at 2025 Brazilian Grand Prix | November 8, 2026 | ||
| Earn 1 level for change of route at 2025 Abu Dhabi GP | December 7, 2026 | ||
| 6 | Lance Stroll | 2025 Monaco GP, 1 level because of collision with Charles Leclerc throughout follow | Could 23, 2026 |
| 2025 Canadian GP, 2 factors for forcing Pierre Gasly off the monitor | June 15, 2026 | ||
| 2 factors for collision with Esteban Ocon at 2025 US Grand Prix | October 18, 2026 | ||
| Earn 1 level for a number of route adjustments on the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | December 7, 2026 | ||
| 6 | Liam Lawson | 1 level for collision with Lance Stroll at 2025 Bahrain GP | April 13, 2026 |
| 2025 Bahrain GP, 2 factors because of collision with Nico Hulkenberg | April 13, 2026 | ||
| 1 level for collision with Fernando Alonso at 2025 Miami Grand Prix | Could 2, 2026 | ||
| 1 level for collision with Olly Bearman at 2025 Brazilian Grand Prix | November 8, 2026 | ||
| Earn 1 level for a number of route adjustments on the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | December 7, 2026 | ||
| 5 | Kimi Antonelli | 2025 Austrian GP, 2 factors for collision with Max Verstappen | June 29, 2026 |
| 2025 Dutch GP, 2 factors because of collision with Charles Leclerc | August 31, 2026 | ||
| 2025 Italian GP, 1 level for erratic driving | September 7, 2026 | ||
| 4 | Carlos Sainz | 2025 Bahrain GP, 2 factors because of collision with Kimi Antonelli | April 13, 2026 |
| 2 factors because of collision with Kimi Antonelli at 2025 US GP | October 19, 2026 | ||
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | 2025 British GP, 2 factors because of unstable braking on the straight earlier than SC restart | July 6, 2026 |
| 2 factors because of collision with Kimi Antonelli at 2025 Brazilian Grand Prix | November 9, 2026 | ||
| 3 | max verstappen | 3 factors because of collision with George Russell at 2025 Spanish GP | June 1, 2026 |
| 3 | lewis hamilton | 2025 Dutch Grand Prix: 2 factors for not slowing down sufficient for the yellow flag throughout pre-race pit cease | August 31, 2026 |
| 1 level for collision with Franco Colapinto at 2025 Brazilian Grand Prix | November 9, 2026 | ||
| 3 | Alex Albon | 2 factors for collision with Franco Colapinto at 2025 Azerbaijan GP | September 1, 2026 |
| 1 level for collision with Lewis Hamilton at 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix | November 23, 2026 | ||
| 2 | Pierre Gasly | 2025 Hungarian GP, 2 factors because of collision with Carlos Sainz | August 3, 2026 |
| 2 | Gabriel Bortleto | 2 factors because of collision with Lance Stroll at 2025 Las Vegas GP | November 23, 2026 |
| 1 | Franco Colapinto | 2025 Austrian GP, 1 level for forcing Oscar Piastri off the monitor when he was lapped | June 29, 2026 |
| 1 | charles leclerc | 1 level for transferring whereas braking whereas defending towards George Russell on the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix | August 3, 2026 |
| 1 | Esteban Ocon | 1 level for forcing one other driver off the monitor on the 2025 Italian Grand Prix | September 7, 2026 |
| 0 | land norris | ||
| 0 | george russell | ||
| 0 | Isaac Hajar | ||
| 0 | Fernando Alonso | ||
| 0 | Arvid Lindblad | ||
| 0 | Nico Hulkenberg | ||
| 0 | Valtteri Bottas | ||
| 0 | Sergio Perez | ||

