The FIA has made its stewarding penalty guidelines available to the public in a move aimed at adding transparency behind the stewards’ decisions in Formula 1.
A lengthy document details around 100 offences which can occur throughout a race weekend, revealing the number of penalty points certain actions can attract.
FIA stewards’ guidelines: Which offences carry F1 penalty points and in what quantity?
While making clear that these guidelines hold no regulatory value and act as a guide for stewards to assign penalties, the FIA has now revealed which offences can carry the additional punishment of Super Licence penalty points.
No driver can exceed more than 12 F1 penalty points on their Super Licence within a rolling 12-month period. Should any driver reach that tally, they will receive a one-race ban, at which time their total resets.
Many of the offences listed do not carry penalty points, though others can carry grid penalties, fines, and reprimands.
Which offence receives the highest number of penalty points?
Ignoring the black flag (disqualification) and black-and-orange flag (driving with significant damage) carries the highest punishment, of an immediate race disqualification and five penalty points for the driver’s Super Licence.
Not far behind is failing to slow or stop for red flags, which carries a disqualification threat and four penalty points.
For other flag-related infringements, failure to slow for yellow flags can bring up to three penalty points, and failure to move aside when being blue-flagged can result in two penalty points.
How many F1 penalty points does causing a collision carry?
One of the more common offences in Formula 1, causing a collision can carry up to three penalty points for a driver’s Super Licence, depending on the severity.
In the race, a five-second or 10-second penalty is available, but severe offences can carry up to a drive-through or 10-second stop and go penalty.
How many F1 penalty points can be awarded for moving in the braking zone or defending unfairly?
Per the driving standards guidelines and sporting regulations in Formula 1, drivers are not allowed to move to defend their position more than once, nor are they allowed to move under braking to defend a position.
If a driver moves under braking “in a manner deemed potentially dangerous” or changes their direction more than once in defence, this can carry any in-race penalty from a five-second time penalty to a drive-through penalty, along with up to three penalty points.
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How many F1 penalty points are awarded for overtaking under a Safety Car?
Cars are not allowed to overtake under yellow flag conditions or behind the Safety Car, and overtaking behind the Safety Car can land between two and three penalty points.
Overtaking the Safety Car itself brings three penalty points.
How many F1 penalty points are awarded for forcing another driver off-track?
Drivers are not allowed to force another driver off the track while racing, and doing so can land the offender with a 10-second penalty, a drive-through or 10-second stop and go penalty.
Two penalty points are attached to this, but the FIA stipulates that forcing another driver off-track “recklessly” can bring three penalty points.
FIA F1 penalties: The punishment guidelines in full
To be clear, while the FIA’s document acts as only a guide for punishments relating to offences, with each taken on its own merit and at the stewards’ discretion, we have collated the infringements which are listed as carrying potential penalty points as per the FIA stewarding guidelines.
Penalty points may vary for practice and qualifying infringements, with in-race punishments listed below for the selected offences.
Numbers marked * relate to a maximum number of penalty points available, depending on the severity of the infringement.
| Offence | Possible punishments | Penalty points |
| Ignoring black or black/orange flags | Disqualification | 5 |
| Failure to slow/stop for red flags | 10-second stop/go penalty or black flag | 4 |
| Causing a collision ‘with apparent deliberate or reckless intent’ | 10s stop/go | 4* |
| Causing a collision | 10s penalty (baseline), drive-through or 10s stop/go (or a grid penalty if the driver failed to finish the race) 5s penalty in mitigating circumstances |
3* |
| Driving with/failing to stop a car with significant & obvious damage | As above | 3* |
| Driving unnecessarily slowly in a dangerous manner | 10s penalty (baseline), drive-through or 10s stop/go (or a grid penalty if the driver failed to finish the race) 5s penalty in mitigating circumstances |
3* |
| Driving erratically or in a manner which could be deemed potentially dangerous | As above | 3* |
| Dangerously crossing pit entry/exit line | Drive-through, 10s stop/go | 3 |
| Driving a car knowing it to be in an unsafe condition following releasing a car in an unsafe condition | 10-place grid penalty for next race | 3 |
| Failing to stop at a red light at the pit exit during a race | 10s stop/go penalty | 3* |
| Failure to slow for yellow flags | Grid penalty or 10s stop/go penalty | 3 |
| Impeding with intent | Grid penalty | 3 |
| Moving in the braking zone “in a manner deemed potentially dangerous” | 5s penalty up to drive-through | 3 |
| More than one change of direction to defend a position | 5s penalty up to drive-through | 3 |
| Overtaking the Safety Car | 10s stop/go penalty | 3 |
| Overtaking in pit entry/pit exit when SC using the pit lane | 10s penalty up to 10s stop/go | 3* |
| Failing to keep within 10 car lengths of the car in front or Safety Car during SC period | 5-10s penalty or drive-through | 2-3 |
| Overtaking another car in SC/VSC conditions | 10s penalty up to 10s stop/go | 2-3 |
| Forcing a driver off the track (recklessly) | 10s penalty up to 10s stop/go | 2 (3) |
| Failure to respect blue flags | 5-10s penalty, drive-through | 2 |
| Leaving the track and re-joining unsafely | 5s penalty up to drive-through | 2 |
| Overtaking behind the SC during a race re-start | Drive-through/10s stop/go | 2 |
| Exceeding minimum time set behind Safety Car | 5s penalty up to 10s stop/go | 1-3 |
| Entering the pits during SC unless for the purpose of changing tyres | 5s penalty up to 10s stop/go | 1-3 |
| Exceeding the VSC speed limit | 5s penalty up to 10s stop/go | 1-3 |
| Unsafe release from a pit stop where the driver is at fault | 5s penalty up to drive-through | 1-2 |
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