Franco Colapinto is the Formula 1 driver closest to a race ban. The Alpine star has four active penalty points to his name, leaving him eight away from a suspension.

Carlos Sainz also has four points but two of them are due to expire soon after the last-checked date of 15 October 2026. Two of the three points currently assigned to Lance Stroll will expire on 18 October.

Any driver who accumulates 12 F1 penalty points across a rolling 12-month period will serve a one-race ban from the grid. Super Licence penalty points are a disciplinary measure on the part of the FIA as opposed to time penalties and grid penalties within any given race. They expire individually, meaning drivers at risk of a ban know how long they need to keep their noses clean.

While Colapinto will not have any points removed until June 2027, there is no driver under the immediate threat of a ban.

Which F1 driver is closest to a race ban?

Alpine's Colapinto is the only driver with four points against his name other than Sainz, whose total will be halved when two points expire on 19 October – well in advance of the next Grand Prix in the United States.

Of Colapinto's four points, one will expire in June 2027 and three will expire in August 2027.

F1 penalty points 2026 in full

Franco Colapinto

• 4 penalty points, 8 points away from a ban
• Next expiry: 14 June 2027
• 1 point - Barcelona-Catalunya GP - yellow flag offence - expires 14 June 2027
• 1 point - Dutch GP - yellow flag offence - expires 23 August 2027
• 2 points - Dutch GP - yellow flag offence - expires 23 August 2027

Carlos Sainz

• 4 penalty points, 8 points away from a ban
• Next expiry: 19 October 2026 (before the next GP)
• 2 points - United States GP - collision - expires 19 October 2026
• 2 points - Azerbaijan GP - yellow flag offence - expires 25 September 2027

Liam Lawson

• 3 penalty points, 9 points away from a ban
• Next expiry: 9 November 2026
• 1 point - Sao Paulo GP - collision - expires 9 November 2026
• 1 point - Abu Dhabi GP - erratic driving - expires 7 December 2026
• 1 point - Dutch GP - yellow flag offence - expires 23 August 2027

Lance Stroll

• 3 penalty points, 9 points away from a ban
• Next expiry: 18 October 2026 (before the next GP)
• 2 points - United States GP - collision - expires 18 October 2026
• 1 point - Abu Dhabi GP - more than one change of direction - expires 7 December 2026

Yuki Tsunoda

• 3 penalty points, 9 points away from a ban
• Next expiry: 9 November 2026
• 2 points - Sao Paulo GP - collision - expires 9 November 2026
• 1 point - Abu Dhabi GP - more than one change of direction - expires 7 December 2026

Oliver Bearman

• 2 penalty points, 10 points away from a ban
• Next expiry: 8 November 2026
• 1 point - Sao Paulo GP - dangerous driving - expires 8 November 2026
• 1 point - Abu Dhabi GP - more than one change of direction - expires 7 December 2026

Gabriel Bortoleto

• 2 penalty points, 10 points away from a ban
• Next expiry: 23 November 2026
• 2 points - Las Vegas GP - collision - expires 23 November 2026

Arvid Lindblad

• 2 penalty points, 10 points away from a ban
• Next expiry: 23 August 2027
• 2 points - Dutch GP - yellow flag offence - expires 23 August 2027

Oscar Piastri

• 2 penalty points, 10 points away from a ban
• Next expiry: 9 November 2026
• 2 points - Sao Paulo GP - collision - expires 9 November 2026

Alex Albon

• 1 penalty point, 11 points away from a ban
• Next expiry: 23 November 2026
• 1 point - Las Vegas GP - collision - expires 23 November 2026

Kimi Antonelli

• 1 penalty point, 11 points away from a ban
• Next expiry: 25 July 2027
• 1 point - Hungarian GP - yellow flag offence - expires 25 July 2027

Lewis Hamilton

• 1 penalty point, 11 points away from a ban
• Next expiry: 9 November 2026
• 1 point - Sao Paulo GP - collision - expires 9 November 2026

Drivers with zero penalty points as of 22 October 2026

• Fernando Alonso, Valtteri Bottas, Pierre Gasly, Isack Hadjar, Nico Hulkenberg, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Esteban Ocon, Sergio Perez, George Russell, Max Verstappen.

Snapshot: F1 penalty points in full

• 4 points: Franco Colapinto, Carlos Sainz
• 3 points: Liam Lawson, Lance Stroll, Yuki Tsunoda
• 2 points: Oliver Bearman, Gabriel Bortoleto, Arvid Lindblad, Oscar Piastri
• 1 point: Alex Albon, Kimi Antonelli, Lewis Hamilton
• 0 points: Fernando Alonso, Valtteri Bottas, Pierre Gasly, Isack Hadjar, Nico Hulkenberg, Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Esteban Ocon, Sergio Perez, George Russell, Max Verstappen
• Other starters with 0 points: Luke Browning, Colton Herta

What offences earn F1 penalty points?

There are no hard and fast penalty tariffs under the penalty points system. Race stewards make and publish decisions based on the FIA Formula 1 Penalty Guidelines, and Super Licence penalty points are used sparingly compared to time penalties and grid penalties issued within a race weekend.

The transgressions that carry penalty points include various categories of driving dangerously or erratically, causing collisions, failing to slow down under yellow or red flags, failing to respect blue or black flags, and safety car offences.

Has an F1 driver been banned under the penalty-points system?

Former Haas driver Kevin Magnussen was banned from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku in 2024 after racking up 10 penalty points in the first five races of the season and tipping over to 12 points in the Italian GP in September.

Magnussen followed in the unwelcome footsteps of seven drivers who served bans before the penalty points system was introduced.

Romain Grosjean, Jacques Villeneuve, Michael Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen, Eddie Irvine, Nigel Mansell and Riccardo Patrese have all been subject to race bans.