Penalty points under fire as FIA pushes for transparency

Williams’ Alex Albon said ahead of the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix weekend, “I don’t like how we’re racing at the moment,” referring not to his team’s form but to the FIA’s first-ever public release of its driving guidelines. The documents are meant to help stewards with “fair and consistent decision making” at a time of growing calls for transparency.

How the system works

Penalty points are one of several steward punishments for infractions ranging from safety car breaches to causing a collision. Introduced in 2014, the system triggers an automatic one-race ban once a driver reaches 12 points in any 12-month span. Points drop off after 12 months, or the slate is wiped clean after a ban is served.

Heading into the 2025 Austrian GP weekend, Max Verstappen had 11 points, with two set to drop on 30 June a year after he received points for colliding with Lando Norris at the Red Bull Ring. The most recent ban was Kevin Magnussen, sidelined for the 2024 Azerbaijan GP. “You get punished, and then you come back, and you’re all ready to… f— s— up now!” Magnussen joked on his return in Singapore.

How points are set

Ahead of Austria 2025 the FIA published the 2025 F1 Penalty Guidelines and 2025 Driving Standard Guidelines. The penalty document covers around 100 common infringements with suggested points for practice, qualifying and the grand prix. The FIA notes: “The points indicated are intended to be the norm for a particular offence. The Stewards may vary these, taking into account mitigating or aggravating circumstances.”

Typical ranges include 2 points for unsafe rejoins, forcing off track, ignoring blue flags; 3 points for dangerous driving, collisions; 4 points for causing a collision with deliberate/reckless intent; and 5 points for failing to respect black flags or abuse of officials. Points cannot be given when an incident results in a fine or reprimand.

Drivers call for change

Haas’ Ollie Bearman said, “I think it’s a little bit harsh to see drivers getting race bans for trying to create action.” He pointed to Magnussen’s ban: “We saw Kevin last year get a race ban. Although it obviously helped me, I felt like he was really hard done by to have that race ban from all of these tiny infractions.”

Fernando Alonso draws a line between mistakes and danger. “When you are pushing someone into the grass in the middle of the straight, or when you are doing different things, that should be a penalty point, because it’s a dangerous driving,” he said, arguing crossing the white line at pit exit should only draw time penalties.

Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar also criticised the system in Austria. Gasly said, “I was once in that situation, and I don’t think I was a dangerous driver on track. So, for me, it’s something that can be reviewed.” Verstappen, asked repeatedly about racing more cautiously after nearly reaching a ban, replied in Austria: “You’re joking? Is this like a trap?”