The F1 penalty points system was first introduced in 2014. The reason behind introducing something like this was the drastic drop in driving standards in the early 2010s. Quite a few drivers who had made their way to the sport were crash-prone and got involved in far too many crashes.
Not only that, these crashes hurt the races of fellow drivers and had started to lead to a drop in standards in general. What made the whole thing worse was the fact that there was no specific metric in place to measure something like this and have some action in place in case a driver falls below a certain threshold.
This was precisely why the F1 penalty points system was introduced, where a driver was handed penalty points for transgressions on track. Last season, Kevin Magnussen became the first driver to be banned due to this system. The driver reached the threshold of 12 points within a 12-month period and was hence banned for a race.
The first race in Australia to kick off the season was chaotic. The only driver who did have a transgression had it revoked very quickly, Kimi Antonelli's 5-second penalty. As we move on from Melbourne, where do the drivers stand in terms of penalty points? Let's take a look.
F1 Penalty points after the Australian GP
#1. Lando Norris
Penalty Points: 3
Lando Norris now has a total of three F1 penalty points to his name.
- Three points: Ignoring yellow flags at the 2024 F1 Qatar GP (expiring on December 1, 2025)
#2. Oscar Piastri
Penalty Points: 4
McLaren's Oscar Piastri picked up two F1 penalty points at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for contact with Franco Colapinto.
- Two points: Causing a collision with Franco Colapinto at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (expires on December 8, 2025)
- Two points: Causing a collision with Liam Lawson at the 2024 Brazilian GP (expires on November 2, 2025)
#3. Charles Leclerc
Penalty Points: 0
Ferrari's Leclerc has managed to maintain a clean slate over the last 12 months.
#4. Lewis Hamilton
Penalty Points: 0
Leclerc's new Ferrari teammate, Lewis Hamilton, also has a clean slate in the previous 12 months.
#5. Max Verstappen
Penalty Points: 8
The defending champion, Verstappen, has eight penalty points now, with the reigning world champion accruing two more for his collision with Oscar Piastri at last season's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
- One point: Driving unnecessarily slowly in the 2024 F1 Qatar GP Qualifying (expires on December 1, 2025)
- One point: VSC infringement in the 2024 F1 Brazilian GP Sprint (expires on November 1, 2025)
- Two points: Forcing Lando Norris off track during the 2024 F1 Mexican GP (expires on October 27, 2025)
- Two points: Causing a collision with Norris at the 2024 F1 Austrian GP (expires on June 30, 2025)
- Two points: Causing a collision with Oscar Piastri at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (expires on December 8, 2025)
#6. Liam Lawson
Penalty Points: 2
Lawson has two penalty points for causing a collision at the F1 Qatar GP.
- Two points: Causing a collision with Valtteri Bottas at the Qatar GP (expires on December 1, 2025)
#7. George Russell
Penalty Points: 1
Mercedes driver Russell has one penalty point to his name.
- One point: SC infringement at the 2024 F1 Qatar GP (expires on December 1, 2025)
#8. Kimi Antonelli
Penalty Points: 0
Kimi Antonelli has a clean slate for now.
#9. Fernando Alonso
Penalty Points: 8
Aston Martin veteran Fernando Alonso has collected eight F1 penalty points, including two for his dive-bomb on Zhou Guanyu at the 2024 Austrian GP. It also resulted in a 10-second penalty.
- Two points: Causing a collision with Zhou Guanyu at the F1 Austrian GP (expires on June 30, 2025)
- Three points: Pushing Carlos Sainz off the track at the F1 Chinese GP Sprint (expires on April 20, 2025)
- Three points: "Potentially dangerous driving" against George Russell at the Australian GP (expires on March 24, 2025)
#10. Lance Stroll
Penalty Points: 4
Stroll has accumulated four F1 penalty points in the past 12 months.
- Two points: Causing a collision with Alex Albon at the Qatar GP (expires on December 1, 2025)
- Two points: Causing a collision with Daniel Ricciardo at the Chinese GP (expires on April 21, 2025)
#11. Pierre Gasly
Penalty Points: 0
Gasly doesn't have any F1 penalty points.
#12. Jack Doohan
Penalty Points: 0
Doohan doesn't have any penalty points.
#13. Esteban Ocon
Penalty Points: 3
Ocon has gotten three F1 penalty points in the last 12 months.
- Two points: Causing a collision with Pierre Gasly at the Monaco GP (expires on May 27, 2025)
- One point: Unsafe release during the Miami GP (expires on May 4, 2025)
#14. Ollie Bearman
Penalty Points: 2
Bearman has two penalty points to his name going into the 2025 season.
- Two points: Causing a collision with Franco Colapinto at the 2024 Brazilian GP (expires on November 2, 2025).
#15. Yuki Tsunoda
Penalty Points: 0
Tsunoda has a clean slate going into the 2025 season.
#16. Isack Hadjar
Penalty Points: 0
Hadjar has a clean slate going into the off-season.
#17. Carlos Sainz
Penalty Points: 1
The former Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz has one F1 penalty point ahead of the 2025 Australian GP.
- One point: Causing a collision with Oscar Piastri at the 2024 F1 Miami GP (expires on May 5, 2025)
#18. Alex Albon
Penalty Points: 2
Albon has two F1 penalty points to his name.
- Two points: Causing a collision with Kevin Magnussen at the Qatar GP (expires on December 1, 2025)
#19. Nico Hulkenberg
Penalty Points: 4
Hulkenberg has four F1 penalty points.
- Two points: Causing a collision with Yuki Tsunoda at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix (expires on September 1, 2025)
- Two points: Causing a collision with Fernando Alonso during the 2024 Austrian GP Sprint (expires on June 29, 2025)
#20. Gabriel Bortoleto
Penalty Points: 0
Bortoleto has a clean slate heading into his first full season.