If Max Verstappen owed some karmic debt to the cosmos, it was surely repaid through his outstandingly luckless Austrian Grand Prix weekend.
Of the many Red Bull fans who packed the team’s home circuit, none of those in the grandstands beyond turn three got to see him in action during the race. That was as far as he got before being harpooned by Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
But Verstappen was doubly unfortunate, as he shouldn’t have been there for Antonelli’s out-of-control Mercedes to hit in the first place.
Verstappen lined up seventh on the grid, two places ahead of the Mercedes driver, after suffering more bad luck in qualifying. He was on course to set his quickest time of the session on his sole lap on new tyres in Q3 when he spotted a yellow flag as he approached turn nine, and backed off.
Red Bull reckoned he was on course to qualify at least third, potentially second (Oscar Piastri’s lap was also spoiled by the yellow flag, triggered by Pierre Gasly). Had Verstappen started where he might have, Antonelli’s victim would surely have been someone else.
Verstappen’s first no-score since his brake failure in Australia last year means he is now 61 points off the championship lead. With more than half of the season still to go, that’s close enough for him to overturn if he wins enough races.
But McLaren’s consistently strong performances over the opening rounds make it unlikely, even if their drivers keep taking points off each other. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner deemed Verstappen’s chances of a fifth consecutive title “unrealistic” after Sunday’s race.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
There was one crumb of comfort for Verstappen, though it was probably far from his mind as he left his bent RB21 behind in the turn three run-off area. Having left Austria without collecting any further penalty points, the risk he might trigger an automatic race ban has lessened.
Verstappen went into the event on 11 penalty points. A single further penalty point, which could be collected for a host of minor infringements, would therefore have put him on 12, at which a ban is automatically applied.
The fact Verstappen avoided that was good news for him, as well as the Silverstone-bound F1 fans who will get to see the reigning world champion in action. What’s more, he will drop two penalty points before the next race, so the maximum danger point has now passed.
But information published for the first time by the FIA last week showed Verstappen should feel grateful he didn’t collect a ban before Austria.
The incident which pushed Verstappen up to 11 penalty points occured in Spain, when he collided with George Russell. This was a particularly egregious move which occured in unusual circumstances: Red Bull advised him to surrender his position to Russell, a view Verstappen disagreed with but followed (though the stewards later confirmed his suspicions that he did not need to give up the place).
The FIA stewards gave Verstappen three penalty points for the collision, ruling he “suddenly accelerated and collided” with Russell after slowing to let the Mercedes driver catch him.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Since F1’s penalty points system was introduced in 2014, no F1 driver has ever been given more than three penalty points for a single incident. However it is an available penalty under the rules and has happened outside F1. Nikita Mazepin collected four points on his licence for causing a crash in Formula 2 six years ago.
According to the stewards, Verstappen was penalised for causing a collision. However F1’s penalty guidelines note four penalty points may be issued if the stewards rule a driver “caused a collision with apparent deliberate or reckless intent.”
Whether or not Verstappen intended to hit Russell is a matter of debate. But at the very least his driving in Spain was reckless. What precisely was his motive for slowing to allow Russell alongside him, then accelerating and driving wide of the apex and making contact with the Mercedes? This was “reckless” at best, and a four-point sanction therefore would have been fully justified by F1’s guidelines.
It’s not hard to imagine a degree of reluctance on the part of the stewards. They would have been aware that issuing four penalty points would have triggered an automatic ban for Verstappen. Given that a four-point penalty had never previously been seen in F1, and the penalty guidelines were not published until after the Spanish Grand Prix, no doubt some would have accused the stewards of treating Verstappen unfairly.
The stewards have previously appeared to be lenient towards a driver who was on the cusp of receiving a ban. At the 2023 Australian Grand Prix Gasly, who was on 10 penalty points at the time, avoided a sanction after causing a collision with another driver after leaving the track and rejoining in a queue of cars following a standing restart.
The two penalty points Verstappen collected for colliding with Lando Norris in last year’s Austrian Grand Prix have now expired. He therefore drops to a total of nine.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
The threat of a ban hasn’t receded entirely for Verstappen. He still has a higher penalty points tally than anyone else on the grid and three more will trigger a ban. What’s more, no further points will come off until after the Mexican Grand Prix, which is not for another nine rounds.
And now the FIA has made it clear what sanctions are expected for which incidents, the stewards can expect even closer scrutiny over the penalties they give all drivers, however close they are to being banned.
Miss nothing from RaceFans
Get a daily email with all our latest stories – and nothing else. No marketing, no ads. Sign up here:
2025 Austrian Grand Prix
- 2025 Austrian Grand Prix weekend F1 driver ratings
- Luckless Verstappen should still feel grateful as he avoids a ban for now
- Verstappen’s championship chances “unrealistic” now, Horner believes
- Mercedes still “nowhere” in hot races after two years with same problem – Russell
- Alpine’s performance “increasingly concerning”, says Briatore
