How many penalty points do the drivers have for 2026? Suspension looms for Bearman

Oliver Bearman needs to be careful during the first Grands Prix of the new season. The Haas driver is facing a potential suspension, as he starts in Melbourne with ten penalty points already on his racing license. The first points for the Briton won’t expire until May. How many penalty points do the other drivers have ahead of the 2026 season? View the full overview here.

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The new Formula 1 season is about to begin. For the drivers’ championship, the counter therefore resets to zero, and drivers can start the new season with a clean slate. However, this does not apply to penalty points. These only expire for drivers after a year, and many drivers therefore start the season with a number of penalty points on their racing license.

Watch out for Bearman

Oliver Bearman currently takes the lead, with no fewer than ten penalty points on his racing license. The Haas driver received his last penalty point in Abu Dhabi for ‘reckless’ defensive driving. Bearman was trying to keep Lance Stroll behind him in the battle for ninth place. The Briton must also be careful during races for the time being, as his first penalty points do not expire until May 23. Should Bearman receive two more penalty points before then, the driver will have to sit out a race.

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Following at a distance from Bearman are Liam Lawson and Lance Stroll with six penalty points each. Andrea Kimi Antonelli – with five penalty points – Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz – each with four points – complete the top six. Of the six drivers, the McLaren driver has to wait the longest; Piastri’s first penalty points won’t expire until July 6. At the very bottom of the list, we find Fernando Alonso, Valtteri Bottas, Isack Hadjar, Nico Hülkenberg, Arvid Lindblad, Lando Norris, Sergio Pérez, and George Russell with zero penalty points on their racing licenses. Max Verstappen has three penalty points, the first of which expire on June 1.

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View the full list here:

F1 driver penalty points

View the 2026 F1 calendar here