F1 penalty points before the Las Vegas GP: 5 biggest delinquents

The F1 penalty points system was first introduced in 2014 to help keep the driving standards above a threshold. In the early 2010s, first-lap incidents happened often, and the presence of crash-prone drivers like Pastor Maldonado and Romain Grosjean played a role. Kevin Magnussen became the first driver this season to be banned due to this system.

With the F1 circus heading to Las Vegas, who are the top five delinquents in terms of penalty points? Let's take a look.

F1 Penalty Points: Who is close to a ban?

#5 Sergio Perez

Penalty Points: 3

Sergio Perez has three F1 penalty points.

Two points: Causing a collision with Lando Norris at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (expire November 26, 2024)
One point: Unsafe release in pit lane at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (expires March 9, 2025)

#4 Esteban Ocon

Penalty Points: 3

Esteban Ocon got three F1 penalty points for his collision with his teammate Pierre Gasly.

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)

#3 Nico Hulkenberg

Penalty Points: 4

Nico Hulkenberg has four F1 penalty points currently.

Two points: Causing a collision with Yuki Tsunoda at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix (expire on September 1, 2025)
Two points: Pushing Fernando Alonso off track at the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix (expire on June 29, 2025)

#2 Max Verstappen

Penalty Points: 5

Max Verstappen now has five penalty points, with the latest addition coming in the 2024 Brazilian GP due to his incident with Lando Norris.

One point: VSC infringement in the 2024 F1 Brazilian GP Sprint (expires on November 2, 2025)
Two points: Forcing Lando Norris off track during the 2024 F1 Mexican GP (expire on October 28, 2025)
Two points: Causing a collision with Norris at the 2024 F1 Austrian GP (expire on June 30, 2025)

#1 Fernando Alonso

Penalty Points: 8

Fernando Alonso has accumulated eight F1 penalty points. The Spaniard was handed two penalty points and a 10-second penalty for a collision with Zhou Guanyu at the Austrian GP.

Two points: Causing a collision with Zhou Guanyu at the F1 Austrian GP (expire June 30, 2025)
Three points: Pushing Carlos Sainz off the track at the F1 Chinese GP Sprint (expire April 20, 2025)
Three points: Potentially dangerous driving against George Russell at the Australian GP (expire on March 24, 2025)