Oliver Bearman leads in penalties
Sometimes things are unusual in Formula 1. In 2023, Kevin Magnussen ended the season with zero penalty points, but in 2024, the Haas driver was the first to be banned after accumulating a full set of points.
The opposite is true for Fernando Alonso: the Spaniard started last season with the highest number of points among all drivers but will begin the 2026 season completely clean. In 2025, he received no penalty points, becoming one of five drivers to finish the year without a single point.
At the other end of the spectrum is Magnussen’s successor at Haas, who again has reason for concern. Rookie Oliver Bearman was the biggest transgressor of the 2025 Formula 1 season, collecting ten penalty points in his first full year and now needing to be cautious: for six races, he will be just two points away from a race ban, which is triggered at twelve points in a year.
Two red flag infringements
In Monaco, Bearman received two points for overtaking Carlos Sainz under red flag conditions, while at Silverstone he crashed his Haas in the pit lane despite the session being neutralized, earning four points in total.
He also received two points for a collision with Carlos Sainz in Monza, and one point each for inappropriate driving in duels in Brazil and Abu Dhabi.
Yuki Tsunoda took eight penalty points, making him second on the list, including an overtake under red flag conditions. This is nothing new for him: he previously topped the penalty points chart in 2021 with eight points.
Recent “winners” of the penalty points ranking
- 2024: Kevin Magnussen (Haas) – 12 points
- 2023: Sergio Perez (Red Bull) – 7
- 2022: Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) – 10
- 2021: Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) – 8
- 2020: Alexander Albon (Williams) – 7
- 2019: Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) – 7
However, Tsunoda’s position this year may not matter much: he will be the only driver not present on the grid next season. Interestingly, the high number of penalty points he accumulated this year contrasts with the zero points he earned in 2024.
The third spot among transgressors is shared by Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) and Lance Stroll (Aston Martin).
Five drivers finish clean
On the other hand, five drivers ended the season without penalty points: world champion Lando Norris (McLaren), George Russell (Mercedes), Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber), Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls), and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin).
The total number of penalty points awarded in 2025 is similar to last year, when all drivers combined had 67 points. This year, the total dropped slightly to 62.
Collisions were the most frequent reason for penalties, with twenty incidents sanctioned by the stewards. Following were rear-end collisions (5), dangerous driving (4), red flag violations (3), and excessive direction changes during duels (3).
There were no significant grid penalties for reprimands last season. For five specific infractions (four related to driving), regulations require a ten-place grid drop, which happened to Yuki Tsunoda in 2023. In 2025, Alexander Albon received the most reprimands with three, although one was for a non-driving infraction.
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