Reigning champion Max Verstappen might be considered amongst the GOATs of F1 with 4 world titles. But there is one thing which might not make many take his name in the same breath as the likes of Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton, and Juan Manuel Fangio. And that might have a lot to do with the Dutchman’s no-holds-barred approach towards racing, which has even cost or irked his opponents a lot.
None of the names mentioned above have ever been banned from a race while being the reigning world champions. In fact, out of the 781 drivers who have competed in F1 over its 75-year history, only six drivers have been banned via the penalty points system.
The drivers that are closest to receiving a race ban in F1 ❌ pic.twitter.com/QvFVDYlGfC
— Autosport (@autosport) March 29, 2025
So it would be a huge embarrassment for Verstappen if that happens, as he is only 4 points away from being banned. He has already received 8 penalty points, which have been carried forward from the last season. Two of those points would only expire on June 30 this year, which means there are many races to go in which the 4-time world champion has to be extremely careful.
Per the F1’s regulations, any driver who accumulates 12 penalty points over a 12-month period on their super license will receive a one-race ban. Verstappen’s 8 points on his super license is already the highest on the grid, with Fernando Alonso being second at 5 points.
This is set to add more pressure on Verstappen, who is already dealing with a difficult RB21 car to drive this season. Because of having an incredible skillset and mentality, so far, he has somehow kept himself in the title conversation as he is just 8 points behind the championship leader, Lando Norris.
But being careful is not Verstappen’s cup of tea. Red Bull must fulfill their promise of developing a winning car as soon as possible, as a lot of flaws need to be ironed out. Those flaws were exposed in the Chinese Grand Prix recently, in which Verstappen could have finished higher than fourth position, but struggled at the start of the race, making it difficult for him to catch up later.
“After returning from China, a meeting took place in Milton Keynes where we explored how and when RBR would have a winning car again,” Red Bull’s Helmut Marko said in an interview with Speed Week.
“It was a good conversation between Max and the engineers. We were able to show Verstappen the general development direction of the race car and what specific improvements are being made to the car.
“…But we saw in the second part of the race in China: If things go well, like Verstappen did at the end of the race, now on hard tyres, he can drive as fast as or even faster than the leader.”
When would Red Bull fulfill their promise, which could help Verstappen’s case? Time will tell. But the odds are against him more than any other top driver on the circuit.
While the penalty points situation is a looming threat to Verstappen, the Dutchman might also be banned for another reason.
Verstappen can also receive a ban for excessive swearing
In the build-up to the 2025 racing season, the FIA introduced a new guideline for stewards imposing penalties. Per their latest guidelines, there will be a crackdown on swearing, and any driver who goes against the rules will face severe punishment, which can go as far as a ban.
These new rules are applicable across all FIA-sanctioned competitions, with F1 being the one where the ramifications are the most severe. The first offense will see a driver slapped with a monetary penalty, and any subsequent offense will also see a suspended one-month ban. A third offense will see a one-month ban and a deduction of points.
Verstappen is most likely to fall victim to this new rule after already having been sanctioned by the FIA for swearing at the 2024 Singapore GP weekend. That said, despite the looming threat of a race ban, Verstappen is still very vocal about how he feels regarding the FIA’s diktat.
“I think you need to use a bit of common sense and, besides that, I prefer that we actually focus on other topics – to try and improve safety, try and improve the overall performance of Formula 1 cars – instead of actually having to focus on all these kinds of things. It’s a bit unnecessary, I think,” he said per Sky Sports F1.
Verstappen will be seen next in the Japanese GP, which will be held on Sunday, April 6 at 12 AM ET.
