There are just two races left in the 2022 season, and for some drivers they could end up missing Abu Dhabi if they pick up more penalty points on their superlicence.
Drivers can accrue penalty points for indiscretions over a given race weekend and are kept on their superlicence for a 12-month period.
If a driver reaches 12 penalty points in the 12-month period, they will be given an automatic one-race ban.
While most driver's penalty points have expired from infractions, they picked up during the 2021 season, others have accrued more in the last few races.
Gasly edges close to one-race ban after Mexico
Pierre Gasly is the closest to getting a one-race ban having now picked up 10 penalty points on his superlicence, which he labelled 'stupid' after the Mexican Grand Prix.
The Frenchman is not set to lose any existing points until May next year, meaning he will need to complete the final two races in 2022 and the first seven races in 2023 without incurring more points.
Alex Albon is also close to a race ban having picked up seven points, however one of these will expire in March 2023.
Daniel Ricciardo is halfway to a race ban, but it is less worrying for the Australian as he will not compete next year. This means if he rejoins the grid in 2024, he will have a clean slate.
There are just two drivers on the grid with no penalty points; Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton.
F1 DRIVER PENALTY POINTS AS OF 2022 MEXICO GP
| Driver | Number of penalty points | Date of next points expiry |
|---|---|---|
| Pierre Gasly | 10 | 22 May 2023 |
| Yuki Tsunoda | 8 | 14 November 2022 |
| Alexander Albon | 7 | 27 March 2023 |
| Daniel Ricciardo | 6 | 26 March 2023 |
| Nicholas Latifi | 5 | 12 June 2023 |
| Lance Stroll | 5 | 9 April 2023 |
| Max Verstappen | 5 | 21 November 2022 |
| Esteban Ocon | 5 | 20 March 2023 |
| Fernando Alonso | 4 | 8 May 2023 |
| George Russell | 4 | 10 July 2023 |
| Guanyu Zhou | 4 | 27 March 2023 |
| Kevin Magnussen | 3 | 9 May 2023 |
| Sergio Perez | 2 | 2 October 2023 |
| Sebastian Vettel | 2 | 10 July 2023 |
| Mick Schumacher | 1 | 23 October 2023 |
| Charles Leclerc | 1 | 9 October 2023 |
| Lando Norris | 1 | 10 July 2023 |
| Valtteri Bottas | 1 | 21 November 2022 |
| Lewis Hamilton | 0 | - |
| Carlos Sainz | 0 | - |
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