Drivers who accumulate more than 12 penalty points in a 12-month period are in violation of FIA regulations and face a one-race ban.
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If he continues to accumulate penalty points on his racing licence, Formula One world champion Max Verstappen may face a one-race ban in the 2022 season. Verstappen racked up seven penalty points in the closing rounds of the tense 2021 season, which saw the Dutchman compete for the world title with Lewis Hamilton.
Drivers who accumulate more than 12 points in a 12-month period are in violation of FIA regulations, therefore Verstappen will have to be cautious in the early months of the new season.
Following incidents in Italy, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, Verstappen was given penalty points, which were only valid for a year. The first of these occurrences occurred on September 12, 2021, when Verstappen collided with Hamilton and landed on top of his car during the Italian Grand Prix.
Verstappen will have to compete in 16 races in the 2022 season before the first of his penalty points is removed from his record. Drivers who accumulate more than 12 points in a 12-month period face an automatic one-race ban under the penalty points system, which has been in place since 2014.
No driver has ever broken the 12-point barrier. Yuki Tsunoda (eight) and Sergio Perez (seven) both have a sizable lead heading into the 2022 season, albeit they will lose the first of their points on April 18.
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Hamilton will open the season with two points on his racing licence, having been defeated to the world title by Verstappen on the penultimate lap of the season at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. For causing Verstappen to crash out of the British Grand Prix in July, the seven-time world champion was fined.
Max Verstappen was officially crowned the 2021 F1 Champion after receiving the trophy at the FIA Awards Ceremony. Lewis Hamilton did not participate in this award ceremony after this season’s controversial decision. Four days after winning the dramatic Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and his first title, 24-year-old Verstappen got the driver’s championship trophy that he had long dreamed of.
“Becoming world champion is my life goal achieved. Everything that comes next is a bonus,” said Verstappen, F1’s 34th and fourth-youngest world champion.
“Of course I am going to keep pushing and I’m going to be in F1 for a few more years yet. While it’s nice to be called world champion, I think more about the long journey and the all the hours I have spent working with my Dad to be here. It’s been a long and tough season and I feel amazing to have finally achieved my goal.”
