Understanding Race Bans: Mechanism and At-Risk Drivers

Kevin Magnussen’s recent race ban has become a hot topic leading up to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Following his penalty at the Italian GP, his participation in Baku was put in jeopardy.

Magnussen received his ban after a risky overtaking attempt on Pierre Gasly at the Roggia during the Italian GP. This incident led to an inevitable race ban. As a result, from September 13 to 15 in Baku, 19-year-old Oliver Bearman will fill in for him. Bearman, also known as Ollie, is the team’s reserve driver and has already been confirmed for the 2025 season. While race bans are severe penalties, they are relatively rare in Formula 1 history. The most recent case was Romain Grosjean in 2012, with previous bans involving drivers like Jacques Villeneuve (1997), Michael Schumacher (1994), Eddie Irvine (1994), Nigel Mansell (1989), and Riccardo Patrese (1978).

How Race Bans Operate

In Magnussen’s situation, he will return to racing in Singapore and the subsequent events without any previously accrued penalty points. After serving his ban, he will have a clean slate and will need to avoid accumulating 12 penalty points again within the next 12 months.

Drivers at Risk of Race Bans

Magnussen isn’t the only driver facing potential race bans; several others have also been accruing penalty points and need to be cautious on the track.

Currently, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso are tied with Magnussen at 8 points. Alonso’s teammate, Lance Stroll, has 5 penalty points, while Magnussen’s teammate Nico Hulkenberg and reigning champion Max Verstappen each have 4 points. Former Renault teammates Esteban Ocon and Daniel Ricciardo have 3 points, and George Russell and Valtteri Bottas each have 2. Carlos Sainz rounds out this list with just 1 point.

On the flip side, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, along with both McLaren drivers and Williams’ duo Alexander Albon and Franco Colapinto, have no penalty points. Similarly, Pierre Gasly, Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu, and Lewis Hamilton also maintain a clean slate.

The Super License system for Formula 1 drivers has been in place since the 1990s, while the penalty point system was introduced in 2014. Penalty points remain on a driver’s license for 12 months. If a driver accumulates 12 points within that time frame, they are banned from the next race and return with a clean license. Magnussen has reached this critical threshold.

Source: https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsports/2024/09/11/race-ban-how-it-works-and-who-are-the-drivers-at-risk/