Max Verstappen is on the verge of being handed an F1 ban after picking up eight penalty points on his Super Licence, with his past mistakes potentially coming back to haunt him at the Chinese GP.
Max Verstappen says he won’t change his driving style despite being on the brink of a Formula One race ban at the Chinese Grand Prix. The Red Bull star has already racked up eight penalty points on his Super Licence ahead of the Shanghai International Circuit race this weekend, just four short of a suspension under FIA rules.
Verstappen found himself in hot water with a series of penalty points during the final races of last season. The four-time world champion’s collision with Oscar Piastri in last year’s finale at Abu Dhabi took his tally to eight.
And with his points not set to be wiped until the British Grand Prix in July, the Dutchman is in a precarious position as he heads into the second race of the 2025 calendar.
Given the stewards’ crackdown on driver contact, even a pair of 10-second time penalties in the first half of the season could see him banned for an entire race. That would throw a major spanner in the works as he looks to defend his title for a fourth consecutive time.
Helmut Marko told the media in December that Max Verstappen should modify his aggressive driving behavior or else risk getting banned. Verstappen failed to hear this warning because he decided to keep his aggressive and naturally talented driving approach which has delivered excellent results.
Regarding the advice from Blick Verstappen indicated he would not modify his driving methods. I understand clearly what constitutes excessive behavior during races.
At the Abu Dhabi finale I aggressively started my attack against Piastri. The outcome of the race did not prevent me from expressing my remorse to [him] right after finishing.
Verstappen explained his history with such situations. He has experienced nine or ten penalties before so he focuses on managing the current racing situation.
Verstappen received his latest two penalty points after a crash with Piastri which became the fourth penalty-pointed incident in the last five races of the current season.
After qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix Verstappen became intensely angry about receiving his penalty because the stewards thought he held up George Russell. The following day Verstappen gained his ninth season victory despite the penalty points.
The penalty-free Azerbaijan Grand Prix run by Kevin Magnussen the previous year highlighted the severe outcomes of exceeding the allowed number of penalty points. The former Haas driver was replaced by Brit Oliver Bearman when his team made a driver change for the current season.