Every 2023 Formula 1 Driver With Points On Their Super License

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Formula 1 has all manner of safety measures in place these days, including the halo to protect a driver’s head and the miles upon miles of crash barriers that surround every circuit. But did you know the sport also has a license in place to make sure that only the most capable drivers can get behind the wheel of some of the fastest race cars on the planet?

Well, it does and it’s called an FIA Super License. This piece of paper offers a record of a race driver’s abilities, but also tracks any and all slip ups they have on track. And by slip ups, I don’t mean accidental spins or wrong turns, instead it’s a record of any bad behavior over a race weekend.

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Every driver on the current grid is in possession of a Super License, it acts as a record of their misdemeanors on track as the FIA can give drivers various penalty points for bad behavior. Actions that can earn a racer a penalty include things like causing a collision with another racer, cutting corners or exceeding track limits during a race.

Each of these points remain on an F1 driver’s Super License for 12 months and if they collect more than 12 of these points over the course of a year, they’re handed a one-race ban. So far, no driver on the current grid has been handed a race ban, but one is getting pretty close with eight points on their license.

As it stands, just five current Formula 1 drivers don’t have a single point to their name: Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri, Valtteri Bottas, Nyck de Vries and Logan Sargeant. But of the 15 drivers that have got at least one point on their super licenses, what were these penalties handed out for?

Well, we trawled through the FIA’s sporting decisions from every race meet over the last year and uncovered all the penalty points sitting on all the super licenses in F1. Click through the following pages to find out exactly why each driver has points on their Super License.

Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)

Penalty Points: 5

• Causing a Collision: During the 2023 British Grand Prix, Japanese racer Yuki Tsunoda was handed two penalty points for causing a collision with Pierre Gasly. (2 Points, expires July 3, 2023)

• Yellow Flag Procedure: Tsunoda was given a further two points at last year’s Italian Grand Prix in Monza. The AlphaTauri driver was penalized for failing to slow under yellow flags. (2 Points, expires September 9, 2023)

• Forcing a Driver off Track: Finally, at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, Tsunoda was penalized for forcing Alfa Romeo driver Zhou Guanyu off track while they fought for position at turn 1. (1 Point, expires June 4th, 2024)

George Russell (Mercedes)

Penalty Points: 6

• Causing a Collision: Mercedes driver George Russell was handed two points during last year’s Austrian Grand Prix, where he caused a collision with the Red Bull of Sergio Perez. (2 Points, expires July 10, 2023)

• Causing a Collision: Russell was found to have caused another crash at the 2022 U.S. Grand Prix, where he collided with the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz Jr. (2 Points, expires October 23, 2023)

• Unsafe Rejoin: After sliding off track during a wet Monaco Grand Prix, George Russell was penalized for rejoining the circuit in an unsafe manner. (2 Points, expires May 28, 2024)

Nico Hülkenberg (Haas)

Penalty Points: 2

• Causing a Collision: During the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix, Haas racer Nico Hülkenberg collided with the Williams of Logan Sargeant in the opening lap. (2 Points, expires May 28, 2024)
  

Kevin Magnussen (Haas)

Penalty Points: 1

• Leaving the Track: Haas’ other racer, Kevin Magnussen, picked up his one and only point during the Italian Grand Prix, where he was found to have “left the track and gained an advantage.” (1 Point, expires September 11, 2023)

Esteban Ocon (Alpine)

Penalty Points: 2

• Causing a Collision: French driver Esteban Ocon was handed two points at his home race at Circuit Paul Ricard. During the race, the Alpine driver crashed with AlphaTauri racer Yuki Tsunoda. (2 Points, expires July 24, 2023)

Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

Penalty Points: 8

• Leaving the Track: At the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix, Alpine driver Pierre Gasly picked up one point for leaving “the track without a justifiable reason multiple times.” (1 Point, expires July 10, 2023)

• Causing a Collision: A further two points were added to Gasly’s tally during the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix, where he caused a collision with German racer Sebastian Vettel. (2 Points, expires July 10, 2023)

• Speeding: Another two points were handed to the Alpine driver at the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka, where stewards found that he was “speeding under red flag conditions.” (2 Points, expires October 9, 2023)

• Safety Car Procedure: During the 2022 U.S. Grand Prix, the Frenchman picked up two points after he “fell more than 10 car lengths behind during the Safety Car period.” (2 Points, expires October 23, 2023)

• Leaving the Track: Gasly gained his final point at the 2022 Mexican Grand Prix, where he left the track and gained an advantage. (1 Point, expires October 30, 2023)

Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

Penalty Points: 3

• Defensive Driving: Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso picked up one point during last year’s Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, where he was penalized for “more than one change of direction to defend a position.” (1 Point, expires June 19, 2023)

• Causing a Collision: The Spaniard added two more points to his tally during the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix, where stewards found he caused a collision with Esteban Ocon. (2 Points, expires November 12, 2023)

Alex Albon (Williams)

Penalty Points: 3

• Forcing Another Driver Off Track: At last year’s Austrian Grand Prix, Williams racer Alex Albon was handed two points for forcing the Lando Norris off track. (2 Points, expires July 9, 2023)

• Leaving the Track: At the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, the Thai racer picked up another point for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. (1 Point, expires October 23, 2023)

Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

Penalty Points: 5

• Causing a Collision: Aston Martin racing driver Lance Stroll picked up his first points of the year at the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. During the race, the Canadian was found at fault for a crash with Fernando Alonso. (2 Points, expires October 23, 2023)

• Defensive Driving: Stroll picked up three more points during the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix. Stewards penalized Stroll for dangerous maneuvers while he tried to defend his position. (3 Points, expires November 12, 2023)

Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

Penalty points: 2

• Causing a Collision. During this year’s Australian Grand Prix, Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz picked up his first two penalty points for causing a collision with the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso following the race’s second restart. (2 Points, expires April 2, 2024)

Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)

Penalty Points: 3

• Track Limits: Alfa Romeo driver Zhou Guanyu was handed one penalty points in last year’s Austrian Grand Prix for exceeding track limits. (1 Point, expires July 10, 2023)

• Causing a Collision: At last year’s French Grand Prix, Zhou picked up a further two points for crashing with the Haas of Mick Schumacher. (2 Points, expires July 24, 2023)

Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)

Penalty Points: 2

• Causing a Collision: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen picked up two penalty points at the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix. In the race, he was found to have caused a collision with Lewis Hamilton. (2 Points, expires November 13, 2023)

Sergio Perez (Red Bull Racing)

Penalty Points: 2

• Safety Car Procedure: During the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix, Mexican driver Sergio Perez was handed two penalty points for falling more than 10 car lengths behind the Safety Car. (2 Points, expires October 2, 2023)

Charles Leclerc (Scuderia Ferrari)

Penalty Points: 1

• Leaving the Track: Ferrari F1 driver Charles Leclerc picked up one penalty point at the Japanese Grand Prix in 2022, where he was found to have left the track and gained an advantage. (1 Point, expires October 9, 2023)

Lando Norris (McLaren)

Penalty Points: 3

• Track Limits: McLaren racing driver Lando Norris picked up his first point for exceeding track limits during the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring. (1 Point, July 10, 2023)

• Causing a Collision: The young British driver was handed two further points at the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix for causing a collision with the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc. (2 Points, November 13, 2023)

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