New penalty guidance allows disqualification for “very extreme” collisions

The FIA has revised Formula 1’s Penalty Guidelines ahead of the 2026 season.

The section on ‘causing a collision’ has received particular attention, with new wording on how stewards may handle the most and least serious cases.

The guidelines clarify that the mere existence of contact is not sufficient to warrant a penalty. “A ‘collision’ which very minor contract e.g. a touch or ‘kiss’ may result in no penalty,” states the updated document.

However the stewards have far greater powers to penalise the most severe cases. Where a driver is found to have caused a collision “with apparent deliberate or reckless intent” the guidelines now state the “for very extreme cases, disqualification or suspension from the next race.”

As last year, the guidelines specify a 10-second stop-and-go penalty and four penalty points for “apparent deliberate or reckless intent”. No driver received such a penalty last year. The only driver to receive as many as three penalty points for contact was Max Verstappen, at the Spanish Grand Prix.

The Red Bull driver also received a 10-second penalty (not the more punitive stop-and-go variety) for colliding with George Russell. The stewards did not describe that collision as “deliberate” or “reckless”.

The offence of “forcing a driver off the track” has also been reinforced in the new guidelines. Whereas before the stewards could issue a tougher penalty for drivers doing so “recklessly”, the updated definition has been expanded to include “recklessly or dangerously or deliberately.”

Following allegations of incidents during Safety Car periods last year, the relevant guidelines have been rewritten. The former infringement of “failing to keep within 10 cars lengths of the car in front,” has been revised to: “failing to keep within maximum allowable gap to the car in front.” The guidelines also note only “incidents with significant safety implications” will attract penalty points.

The updated Penalty Guidelines can be read in full here.

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