F1 penalty points: Red Bull driver ends 2023 season top of FIA naughty list

Editor 27 Nov 2023 5:00 AM

The start of the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. results penalty points — Max Verstappen leads the field away at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Sergio Perez was given two penalty points for his collision with Lando Norris in Abu Dhabi, leaving him top of the pile in the off-season.

Perez banged wheels with Norris in the Turn 6 hairpin in the 2023 season finale and despite the Red Bull driver protesting his innocence, he was given a five-second time penalty for his troubles.

This came with the double-whammy of two penalty points that put him top of the FIA Super Licence ‘naughty list’ at Christmas, with seven to his name in total.

What are penalty points used for in Formula 1?

Formula 1’s penalty points system is in place to keep driver behaviour under control, in the same way as regular road users, with 12 points on their FIA Super Licence over a 12-month period resulting in a one-race ban.

Penalty points are issued for driver transgressions, with the amount varying depending on the severity of the incident and, once a year has passed since that particular offence, their points get wiped, meaning they have to be careful to avoid crossing that fateful 12-point threshold.

Let’s see how the 20 drivers sit as of the end of the 2023 season.

Seven penalty points

Sergio Perez

One point: Expires 17th September 2024. This was awarded for causing a collision with Alex Albon during the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix.
Two points: Expire 24th September 2024. These were awarded for overtaking Fernando Alonso under Safety Car conditions at the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix.
Two points: Expire 24th September 2024. These were awarded for causing a collision with Kevin Magnussen at the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix.
Two points: Expire 26th November 2024. These were awarded for causing a collision with Lando Norris at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Six penalty points

Logan Sargeant

Two points: Expire 3rd September 2024. These were awarded for causing a collision with Valtteri Bottas during the 2023 Italian Grand Prix.
Two points: Expire 24th September 2024. These were awarded for causing a collision with Valtteri Bottas during the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix.
Two points: Expire 28th October 2024. These were awarded for a failure to comply with a yellow flag during qualifying for the 2023 Mexican Grand Prix.

Five penalty points

Lance Stroll

Two points: Expire 9th July 2024. Issued for a collision also involving Pierre Gasly during the 2023 British Grand Prix.
Three points: Expire 17th November 2024. These were issued for overtaking under yellow flag conditions at the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Four penalty points

Lewis Hamilton

Two points: Expire 29th July 2024. These were given for causing a collision with Sergio Perez during the sprint at the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix.
Two points: Expire 3rd September 2024. These were given for causing a collision with Oscar Piastri during the 2023 Italian Grand Prix.

George Russell

Two points: Expire 28th May 2024. These were handed out for rejoining the track in an unsafe manner at the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix, causing a collision with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez.
Two points: Expire 19th November 2024. These were issued for causing a collision with Max Verstappen at the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Three points

Yuki Tsunoda

One point: Expires June 4th 2024. This was awarded for forcing Zhou Guanyu off track during the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix.
Two points: Expire August 27th 2024. These were awarded for causing a collision with George Russell during the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix.

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Two points

Valtteri Bottas

Two points: Expire 29th October 2024. Having had a clean licence all season, Bottas finally sullied his record for 2023 by picking up two penalty points after being found predominantly to blame for a collision between himself and Lance Stroll during the 2023 Mexican Grand Prix.