Max Verstappen faces a precarious situation regarding potential race bans, standing just one penalty point away from an automatic suspension for one race. This follows his recent collision with George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix, placing him on a penalty tightrope for the next two Formula 1 events.
The incident involving the Mercedes driver on lap 64 of Sunday`s race led stewards to impose a costly 10-second time penalty on Verstappen. This penalty dropped him from a fifth-place finish down to tenth in the final standings.
Adding to the consequences, the stewards also added three penalty points to the world champion`s super licence. This brings his total over the past 12 months to 11 points.
According to Formula 1`s regulations regarding penalty points, a driver automatically receives a one-race suspension if they accumulate 12 points within any 12-month period.
Each penalty point remains active on a driver`s super licence for a duration of 12 months before they expire.
Notably, former Haas driver Kevin Magnussen was the first driver to receive a ban under this disciplinary system since its introduction in 2014.
Verstappen will not have any of his current points removed until June 30. This includes two points he received for a collision with Lando Norris at last year`s Austrian Grand Prix.
Crucially, two races are scheduled before the June 30 expiration date: the Canadian Grand Prix on June 15 and this year`s Austrian Grand Prix on June 29. This means Verstappen must navigate both the Montreal and Red Bull Ring circuits without accruing any further penalty points to avoid a mandatory race absence.
The race immediately following this critical period is the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on July 6.
Verstappen will need to exercise caution in wheel-to-wheel situations even beyond the end of June. He is set to remain on at least nine penalty points until October 27, which is when the next set of two points accumulated from incidents last season will expire.
Speaking about the situation in Barcelona on Sunday evening, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner commented:
You can never guarantee anything. He`s just got to keep his nose clean in the next couple of races. Then the first points come off at the end of June.
His eventual tenth-place finish in Spain meant Verstappen`s lead in the Drivers` Championship was reduced. He now trails leader Oscar Piastri by 49 points, a deficit equivalent to two race victories.
