Days after Max Verstappen came dangerously near to a racing ban for accruing part of the FIA penalty points, Red Bull released an update on the points.
At last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, the four-time world champion seemed to purposefully collide with George Russell’s Mercedes, earning him three penalty points and a 10-second time penalty.
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Verstappen has already accrued 11 penalty points in the past 12 months, and one more would result in a one-race suspension from Formula One.
With none of his penalty points expiring until June 30, Verstappen has to compete at the next two race weekends while walking a tightrope, knowing that a ban at this stage – when he’s already 49 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri – could be fatal for his championship chances.
Red Bull would likely have to replace Verstappen with one of the drivers at Racing Bulls – Isack Hadjar or Liam Lawson – in the event of a ban for their star man, but that would then cause a headache for their junior team.
Now, Red Bull’s official website have posted an explainer about F1 penalty points, how they are picked up, and how they can lead to a race ban, just days after their driver landed himself in hot water with race stewards.
The guide is designed to explain to fans why the Dutchman may miss an upcoming race on the 2025 calendar.
Reaction to Verstappen’s Spanish GP crash
While Verstappen has come under intense scrutiny from all corners for his move on Russell, the 27-year-old has also been defended by some, who claim his Red Bull team are to blame for their miscommunication.
Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase told the champion to let Russell past him for fourth place after an earlier incident between the pair, an incident that the FIA later confirmed they took no further action on.
What’s more, Red Bull’s strategy to pit Verstappen during a late safety car even though he only had hard tyres left in his garage led to frustration for the Dutchman, and left many pundits scratching their heads.
In his post-race interview, Russell warned Verstappen to think of the impact his actions have on people who look up to him, while Verstappen himself was not too bothered by the furore caused by his move.
The Dutchman did take to social media earlier this week to say that the move ‘shouldn’t have happened’, but he stopped short of an apology.
