What Are The Different Penalties in Formula 1?

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What are penalties in Formula 1?

Just like any other sport, there are numerous rules and regulations that must be followed in Formula 1 to ensure fair and safe racing. To make sure that the drivers and teams follow these rules, there are a variety of penalties that serve as a form of punishment for breaking any of them. Some penalties are more severe than others, and this is usually based on how strict the rule break was.

The 2024 season saw the FIA being criticized for some of their penalties and it sparked numerous conversations about how to make sure the decisions are consistent. There isn’t a straight answer on how the FIA can ensure this, but they have been making many changes in the past few years to try out different systems of regulating F1. Most notably, Jonny Herbert, a famous Formula 1 personality who works in the media and as a steward, was dropped from his role as an FIA Steward ahead of the 2025 season. This is because there was lots of talk about it being a conflict of interest with him also participating in media duties and sharing his biased opinions about certain drivers on the grid. 

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Now let’s get into a breakdown of the most common Formula 1 penalties that are seen throughout a season:

Black Flag

The black flag is not a very common punishment to receive and it is one of the most extreme ones. When a driver is shown the black flag with their number on it during a race, it means that they are disqualified with immediate effect and must return their car to the pits. 

In 2024, Nico Hülkenberg became the first driver in 17 years to be shown the black flag. He was disqualified from the 2024 Saõ Paulo Grand Prix for spinning off the track and being pushed back onto the circuit by the trackside marshals. 

Drive Through Penalty

This is a common penalty seen when a driver has a minor infraction. This can range anywhere from jumping the start of the race to causing a collision with another driver. 

To serve this penalty, the driver must drive straight through the pit lane at the allocated reduced speed, without stopping within two laps of the penalty being given. There are times when this penalty is given in the final laps of the race, which prevents the drivers from being able to serve it. If the penalty is given in the last three laps of the race, the drivers receive 20 seconds added onto their total race time.

Fine

Fines are a very common penalty for the drivers to receive. These are usually in response to minor infractions and they can be applied to either the driver or the team directly.

One of the most notable fines received in recent years was during the 2021 Formula 1 season. Max Verstappen was fined €50,000 for touching the rear wing of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes while it was under the Parc Ferme conditions following the Friday qualifying session during the 2021 Brazilian Grand Prix weekend. 

Grid Penalty

Usually the grid penalty is announced ahead of qualifying for the Grand Prix. Drivers may be subject to this penalty for a variety of reasons, but the most frequent reason is that they’ve exceeded their power unit components allocation for the season. Each season, teams are given a certain amount of parts, and if they need to exceed that limit, the drivers face a penalty. Another reason for a grid penalty would be that they received five or more reprimands based on incidents that occurred from the previous race. 

A grid penalty is essentially the drivers having to start further back from where they originally qualified. After the qualifying session, the drivers with a grid penalty will drop 3, 5, or 10 places back, which can majorly advantage the other drivers. There is also a back-of-the-grid penalty meaning that even if they qualify on pole, they’ll be starting from P20. One thing to note is that these penalties can be stacked, which means that if a driver is serving multiple grid penalties, they could have a 30+ grid penalty. This can get confusing, especially when there are numerous drivers serving a multi grid penalty. 

Penalty Points

Although they’re called penalty points, the drivers definitely don’t want to be collecting these. Penalty points are given out to drivers who have displayed dangerous driving. They stay on their super license for 12 months, which means that they can carry over into the next season. If the drivers reach the 12 points before the expiration period, they must serve a one-race ban which affects both the driver and constructor’s championships. 

In 2024, Kevin Magnussen became the first driver in 12 years to reach a race ban after exceeding the allocated number of penalty points. This was because of a crash the Haas driver had with Pierre Gasly at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix. Magnussen served the race ban and missed out on the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Pit Lane Start

Similarly to a grid penalty, drivers who receive a pit lane start are not allowed to start the race in their original qualifying position. Drivers are usually given this penalty for breaking parc ferme conditions and changing components on the car, or they had a starting procedure infringement. 

The pit lane start is a very common penalty and almost all of the drivers end up serving it once throughout the entirety of an F1 season. 

Reprimand

This is the lowest form of punishment for breaking a rule or regulation in Formula 1. It is essentially just a warning from the FIA to a driver or team. The accumulation of five or more reprimands will result in a more severe penalty such as a fine or grid penalty.

Stop-And-Go Penalty

A stop-and-go penalty is usually given out as a result of dangerous driving. This can range from numerous offences such as drivers causing a collision, illegal overtaking or even ignoring yellow flags. 

To serve a stop-and-go penalty, drivers must go to their pit box and wait 10 seconds before they can leave. This cannot be combined with a pit stop and the mechanics are not allowed to touch the car at all. The penalty has to be served within two laps and it can greatly affect the drivers’ finishing position in the race. In the case that the penalty was given in the last three laps of the race, 30 seconds will be added to the drivers’ total race time to compensate for the penalty. 

Suspension

A suspension is one of the most serious penalties a driver can receive. If a driver receives a suspension, it means that they will not be able to participate in the next race or races, depending on the severity of it. 

Ahead of the 2025 season, the FIA announced that drivers could face a potential suspension or lose championship points for swearing or making political statements. This has caused a major uproar amongst the F1 community and many people think it is an extreme punishment that prevents drivers from being allowed to speak their mind. 

5 or 10 Second Time Penalty

This is by far the most common penalty seen throughout a Formula 1 season. Drivers can serve this penalty when they plan to pit for new tires. The driver must come to a full stop at their pit box and wait for either 5 or 10 seconds before their pit crew can touch the car. If the driver has already completed all of the planned pit stops in a race, then the allocated time will be added to their total race time.

There have been some cases when a mechanic has prematurely touched the car before the time was up, which resulted in the driver needing to serve the penalty a second time. These time penalties are usually given for on track incidents when one driver is in the wrong or at fault for causing a collision. 

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If you’re curious about other aspects of Formula 1, check out our other informative articles:

How an F1 Weekend Works

How Does an F1 Grand Prix Work?

How Does Qualifying Work in Formula 1?