F1 penalty points: 5 biggest delinquents before the 2025 Azerbaijan GP

As Carlos Sainz gets his 2 F1 penalty points retracted by the stewards for an incident deemed a racing incident on further investigation, there is a driver who might want to have a chat with the stewards about something similar. Ollie Bearman was involved in an incident with the Spaniard that saw him being handed two points.

The incident was eerily similar to what Sainz had with Lawson, and just like the Spaniard, the Brit was handed 2 F1 penalty points. The problem for Ollie now is that it has brought him eerily close to the dreaded 12-point threshold.

With that being said, the Brit is not the only one getting perilously close to that figure. As we head to the F1 Azerbaijan GP, here are the top 5 delinquents on the grid.

F1 Penalty Points: Who is close to a ban?

#5 Lance Stroll

Penalty Points: 5

Lance Stroll currently has five F1 penalty points on his license.

• Two points: Pushing another driver off track at the Canadian GP (expires on June 15, 2026)
• One point: Causing a collision with Charles Leclerc at the Monaco GP (expires on May 25, 2026)
• Two points: Causing a collision with Alex Albon at the Qatar GP (expires on December 1, 2025)

#4 Liam Lawson

Penalty Points: 6

Liam Lawson has six F1 penalty points to his name at the moment. The driver would be hoping to keep a clean slate for the next few races.

• One point: Causing a collision in the Miami GP (expires on May 3, 2026)
• Two points: Causing a collision in the Bahrain GP (expires on April 14, 2026)
• One point: Causing a collision in the Bahrain GP (expires on April 14, 2026)
• Two points: Causing a collision with Valtteri Bottas at the Qatar GP (expires on December 1, 2025)

#3 Oscar Piastri

Penalty Points: 6

Oscar Piastri is in P3 with six F1 penalty points to his name.

• Two points: Erratic Braking in front of Max Verstappen before a restart (expires on July 6, 2026)
• 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)

#2 Max Verstappen

Penalty Points: 9

Max Verstappen is no more the driver with the most F1 penalty points after the race in Monza. He's still within striking distance of that threshold.

• Three points: Causing a collision with George Russell during the 2025 F1 Spanish GP (expires on June 1, 2026)
• Two points: Causing a collision with Oscar Piastri at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (expires on December 8, 2025)
• 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)

#1. Ollie Bearman

Penalty Points: 10

Ollie Bearman is now alarmingly close to a race ban with 10 F1 penalty points to his name. The Brit has displaced Max Verstappen as the driver with the most points accrued on the current grid.

• Four points: Red Flag infringement in the pitlane during British GP (expires 6 July 2026)
• Two points: Red Flag infringement in Monaco GP FP2 (expires on 23 May 2026)
• Two points: Causing a collision with Franco Colapinto at the 2024 Brazilian GP (expires on November 2, 2025).
• Two points: Causing a collision with Carlos Sainz at the 2025 Italian GP (expires on September 7, 2026).