Which F1 drivers will begin 2024 with penalty factors?

Crimson Bull’s Sergio Perez shall be coming into the 2024 F1 season with essentially the most penalty factors on his superlicence after being discovered to have induced a number of incidents in 2023.

Along with his team-mate Max Verstappen additionally having a few factors underneath his belt, the Crimson Bull crew have essentially the most penalty factors of any crew.

What are driver penalty factors?

The F1 penalty level system is in place to try to management driver behaviour and minimise racing incidents.  

Much like an everyday driving licence, if a driver is given 12 penalty factors on their superlicence over a 12-month interval, they are going to be punished with a one-race ban. If a driver receives a ban, then the factors shall be faraway from a driver’s superlicence once they return.  

The superlicence is a compulsory requirement for any F1 driver to compete and is awarded by the FIA. The system was first launched within the early Nineties, with penalty factors introduced in in 2014.  

Any factors given to drivers expire 12 months after they have been awarded.  

Listed here are all of the penalty factors that have been handed out to drivers in 2023 and when they are going to expire: 

Albon was deflected off-line, having to then brake laborious, which resulted in a lock-up of his tyres as he tried to keep away from hitting the wall.

Each drivers have been summoned to the race stewards, who determined that Albon had tried to take the traditional racing line via the nook however was unaware of the exact location of Perez. In addition they concluded that the Mexican’s transfer up the within was thought of to be an “optimistic late manoeuvre” and he was predominately in charge for the collision. 

Perez was then awarded 4 factors on the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix the next week for 2 separate incidents. The primary two penalty factors have been awarded after he handed Fernando Alonso underneath security automobile circumstances following a Lap 1 collision between himself, Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton. Perez managed to limp his automobile again to the pits however within the course of overtook the Aston Martin. 

The Crimson Bull driver was handed a five-second penalty for the incident, which he served 10 laps later throughout a pitstop. He rejoined the race behind Haas’ Kevin Magnussen however tried an unsuccessful overtake on the hairpin.

Crimson Bull retired Perez’s automobile to restore the injury, nonetheless, later within the race the automobile was then despatched again out to serve one other five-second penalty earlier than being retired for good on lap 43. The crash with Kevin Magnussen additionally resulted in two extra superlicence penalty factors for Sergio Perez. 

Perez’s ultimate two penalty factors got to him on the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after inflicting a collision with Lando Norris. Throughout an intense battle for fourth place, the Crimson Bull tried to drive up the within of the McLaren in the course of the Flip 6-7 chicane.

Nonetheless, a correction by the Mexican resulted in him crashing into the front-left wheel of the British driver, forcing Norris to go large. Perez completed the race in second place however after being hit with a five-second penalty, dropped to fourth. 

Logan Sargeant managed to acquire six factors on his superlicence in his rookie 12 months, and obtained his first two penalty factors for inflicting a collision with Valtteri Bottas on the Italian Grand Prix.

The Alfa Romeo driver had efficiently overtaken the Williams on Flip 1 of lap 43, however Sargeant then tried to return again at Bottas into the second chicane. The American pulled within the Finnish driver, the place he then locked up and went into the Alfa Romeo sidepod. 

Sargeant then obtained two extra penalty factors for colliding, once more, with Valtteri Bottas on the Japanese Grand Prix. The pair clashed on lap 5 at Suzuka’s hairpin when Sargeant hit the Alfa Romeo’s right-rear tyre as he tried to overhaul him on the surface of the nook.

Each automobiles tried to hold on however, with terminal injury, the Alfa Romeo and Williams have been each retired from the race. 

Sargeant’s ultimate two penalty factors got here throughout qualifying for the Mexican Grand Prix after he was deemed by stewards to have overtaken Yuki Tsunoda throughout yellow flags circumstances.

The Williams driver had stated he had seen a inexperienced panel earlier than overtaking the slow-moving AlphaTauri, however stewards famous: “Overtaking can solely happen after passing the inexperienced panel or flag. It was additionally famous that he didn’t make a enough discount in velocity.” 

Lance Stroll was given 5 penalty factors in the course of the 2023 season, and his first two factors have been awarded after a collision with Pierre Gasly on the British Grand Prix.

A earlier manoeuvre earlier within the race between the pair had left the Alpine driver “extraordinarily confused” that the Aston Martin driver had not been punished for gaining the benefit off monitor. Gasly was capable of reclaim the place again later within the race, nonetheless on lap 48 Stroll tried an overtake on Vale nook, which resulted in a collision.   

The crash left the Alpine with injury, which noticed Gasly retired from the race. Stroll was then awarded a five-second penalty and two factors on his superlicence after stewards decided that Gasly was “entitled to the road on the exit” and that the Aston Martin driver was accountable for the collision. 

Stroll was then awarded three penalty factors on the Las Vegas Grand Prix for overtaking underneath yellow flag circumstances throughout FP3. Stroll overtook Carlos Sainz as double yellow flags have been being waved, after Albon collided with the limitations.

The Aston Martin driver then claimed he had his “head down” and taking a look at his sprint, nevertheless it was determined by the stewards that he might have completed extra to keep away from the incident. 

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton obtained 4 penalty factors no his superlicence in the course of the 2023 season.

His first two factors have been awarded after inflicting a collision with Crimson Bull’s Sergio Perez on the Belgian Grand Prix. The pair have been wheel to wheel throughout Turns 14 and 15 earlier than Hamilton’s automobile punctured Perez’s facet pod. The Crimson Bull was pressured to retire after being handed by a number of different automobiles and ending up within the gravel following the incident.  

Hamilton was then awarded an extra two penalty factors on the Italian Grand Prix for inflicting a collision with Oscar Piastri.

The pair got here collectively on the second chicane, which pressured the McLaren to pit for a brand new entrance wing. Hamilton was fast to apologise to Piastri and take full blame for the accident however was awarded a five-second penalty and two factors on his superlicence. 

George Russell was awarded 4 factors on his superlicence over the last F1 season, with the primary two factors coming on the Monaco Grand Prix.

Russell skidded off the monitor at Mirabeau after switching to intermediates because it started to rain. He then rejoined the monitor tightly in entrance of Sergio Perez, ensuing within the Crimson Bull colliding with the again of the Mercedes.

Russell was then given two penalty factors and a five-second penalty for rejoining the monitor in an unsafe method and inflicting a collision with the Perez. 

George Russell, Mercedes F1 W14

Photograph by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Photos

Russell obtained an extra two factors on his superlicence after inflicting a collision with Max Verstappen on the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The 2 automobiles made contact on lap 25 after Verstappen went for an inside overtake on Flip 12.

There was minor injury to each automobiles, which resulted in a security automobile as a result of particles on the monitor. Stewards determined that Verstappen had “a good portion of the automobile alongside” in the course of the nook and that Russell was at fault for the collision.

Regardless of the injury, each automobiles have been capable of end the race with Max Verstappen claiming one other victory. 

Yuki Tsunoda was given three factors on his superlicence in the course of the 2023 season. His first level got here on the Spanish Grand Prix, the place he was discovered to have pressured Zhou Guanyu off the monitor.

On lap 56 the Alfa Romeo driver used DRS to problem Tsunoda on the surface of Flip 1 earlier than the pair moved into Flip 2. Stewards dominated that the AlphaTauri driver pressured the Alfa Romeo off at Flip 2, which resulted in Zhou being pressured to take an escape street earlier than rejoining the circuit. 

Tsunoda was additionally awarded two penalty factors for inflicting a collision with George Russell on the Dutch Grand Prix. The pair got here collectively at Flip 1, which induced injury to the Mercedes’ tyres. Russell revealed on the finish of the race that the collision had led to “large vibrations” within the automobile. 

Valtteri Bottas was given two penalty factors on his superlicence for inflicting a collision with Lance Stroll on the Mexican Grand Prix.

The pair went wheel to wheel on lap 67 as Stroll seemed to overhaul Bottas for thirteenth place. The Aston Martin and Alfa Romeo then made contact on the penultimate nook, which despatched Stroll spinning.

The Canadian was then pressured to retire his automobile from the race. 

Zhou Guanyu was awarded two penalty factors on the Hungarian Grand Prix for inflicting a collision with Daniel Ricciardo.

The Chinese language driver had a sluggish getaway on the very begin of the race earlier than he crashed into the again of the AlphaTauri, who was braking for Flip 1. This pressured Ricciardo into Estaban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, which noticed each Alpine automobiles retired.

Zhou suffered entrance wing injury and completed the race in sixteenth, simply forward of three retired automobiles and Kevin Magnussen in seventeenth. Stewards dominated that the Alfa Romeo driver “merely didn’t decelerate sufficient when approaching the nook, leading to an pointless collision”. 

Nico Hulkenberg was discovered by the stewards to be at fault for inflicting a collision with Logan Sargeant on the Monaco Grand Prix.

The Haas driver tried an opportunistic cross on the Mirabeau nook throughout Lap 1, the place he lunged down the within of the Williams. The American driver moved left to keep away from the German on his inside, however the two automobiles ended up making contact.  

Carlos Sainz was given two factors on his superlicence as a punishment for inflicting a collision with Fernando Alonso on the Australian Grand Prix.

Following the second purple flag race restart, the Ferrari clipped the Aston Martin as they exited Flip 1. Alonso restarted in third place, in entrance of Sainz, the place he moved to the surface of the monitor earlier than slicing again throughout. Sainz clipped the AMR23, which despatched it spinning into the wall.

The crash resulted in a 3rd purple flag and the security automobile to guide the sector over the road. Sainz was given a five-second penalty however, underneath security automobile circumstances, was not allowed to combat to regain positions. 

Alonso spoke following the race, calling the penalty “too harsh”.  

Max Verstappen has two penalty factors on his superlicence for forcing Charles Leclerc off the monitor at the beginning of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The incident occurred throughout Flip 1 when the Crimson Bull pulled alongside the Ferrari as they entered the hairpin. Verstappen ran Leclerc off the sting of the monitor, with the pair arguing that their entrance axles have been forward on the apex.

Stewards determined that the Crimson Bull was at fault earlier than awarding the Dutch driver a five-second penalty and two factors on his superlicence. 

Though Nyck de Vries misplaced his F1 seat with AlphaTauri following the British Grand Prix, the driving force nonetheless has unexpired penalty factors on his superlicence.

De Vries was awarded two factors on his superlicence for forcing Kevin Magnussen off the monitor throughout lap 35 of the Austrian Grand Prix. The AlphaTauri driver was preventing with the Haas for fifteenth place earlier than Magnussen was pressured into the gravel lure, making him drop to final place. 

It was the second altercation between the pair, after an incident on lap 4. Following a security automobile restart, the Danish driver tried to go spherical the surface of the Dutch driver at flip 4.

Magnussen didn’t absolutely come alongside De Vries who was capable of preserve his line, ensuing within the Haas driver working into the gravel. 

Listed here are what number of penalty factors every driver has at the beginning of the 2024 F1 season: