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F1 penalties explained, from 5 and 10-second time penalties to drive-throughs, stop-and-go, grid drops, penalty points on the super licence, and disqualification.
When a driver breaks the rules in Formula 1, the stewards have a whole ladder of penalties to choose from, ranging from a few seconds added to a race all the way up to a one-race ban. Which one they hand out depends on how serious the offence is and when it happened. Here is every F1 penalty, explained.
The most common penalty, usually for causing a collision or for leaving the track and keeping the advantage. The driver is given a 5-second or 10-second penalty, served in one of two ways:
These are harsher, served during the race, and reserved for more serious breaches.
Some penalties are applied before a race rather than during it. A grid penalty drops a driver a number of places down the starting order for the next race. These are commonly given for using more power-unit or gearbox components than the season's allowance, or carried over for an offence late in the previous race.
Alongside the in-race penalties, the stewards can add penalty points to a driver's FIA Super Licence. Accumulate 12 points within a rolling 12-month period and you trigger an automatic one-race ban. Each point drops off exactly 12 months after it was issued.
For 2026, the system was reformed so that penalty points are only handed out for genuinely dangerous, reckless or unsportsmanlike incidents, rather than for minor or borderline infringements, keeping the licence as a measure of real risk rather than bad luck.
At the top of the ladder is disqualification, shown by the black flag during a session or applied afterwards. A driver is thrown out of the result entirely, usually for a serious sporting breach or, most often, for a technical infringement found in post-race checks, a car that is underweight, has too much fuel used, or a part outside the rules.
Many penalties come from incidents that happen under pressure, a clumsy overtake, a track-limits violation, or speeding under a safety car or VSC. The stewards review the evidence, hear from the driver if needed, and decide both the offence and the punishment. That is why you often see "under investigation" flash up on screen long before a verdict lands.
Time penalties (5 or 10 seconds), drive-through and stop-and-go penalties, grid-position drops, penalty points on the super licence, and disqualification.
Either the car stays stationary for 5 seconds at its next pit stop before the crew works, or, if no stop is left, 5 seconds are added to the driver's finishing time.
Twelve penalty points within a rolling 12-month period trigger an automatic one-race ban. Points expire 12 months after they are issued.
A drive-through means passing through the pit lane at the speed limit without stopping. A stop-and-go means stopping in the pit box for a set time (with no work allowed) before rejoining, so it costs more.
Usually for a technical breach found in scrutineering, such as an underweight car, excess fuel used, or a component outside the regulations.
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