Beginner · 4 min read

What penalties are there in F1? Seconds, drive-through, grid and points

Warning, reprimand, 5 or 10 seconds, drive-through, stop-and-go, grid penalty, disqualification and super licence points: what each one means.

In 30 seconds
  • From least to most: warning, reprimand, fine, 5 or 10-second penalty, drive-through, stop-and-go, grid penalty, disqualification and suspension.
  • Super licence points last 12 months: collecting 12 means a one-race ban.
  • Penalties are not always immediate: the stewards can investigate even after the race.
Step by step

  1. Warning and reprimand

    Stewards can warn instead of penalising; it is the usual outcome for a first track-limits breach. A reprimand is the next step: up to four are received per season and the fifth means 10 grid places, but only if the previous four were for driving offences.

  2. Fines

    They can be given alone or alongside another penalty. F1 gives as examples 5,000 euros (Norris and Russell, with a reprimand, for a formation-lap error at Brazil 2024) and 10,000 (Leclerc, for language in a Mexico 2024 press conference).

  3. Time penalties

    5 or 10 seconds. They are served in a pit stop, stationary in the box for the stated time before the mechanics touch the car. If the driver does not pit again, they are added to the final time.

  4. Drive-through and stop-and-go

    A drive-through requires driving through the pit lane at the speed limit and rejoining the track. A stop-and-go requires stopping 10 seconds in the box with the mechanics unable to work. They are served within two laps of the notice; if a safety car or VSC comes out, after it.

  5. Grid penalty

    The driver loses grid places at the next weekend they take part in. It is usually for exceeding the engine or gearbox components, and 5 or 10 places is typical.

  6. Disqualification and suspension

    Disqualification removes the driver from the results, for example for a technical infringement: Norris and Piastri, at Las Vegas 2025, for having the floor skid below the 9 mm minimum. Suspension (missing the next event) is very rare.

  7. Super licence points

    The FIA can issue penalty points. They last 12 months and collecting 12 in that period means a one-race ban (it happened to Magnussen at Azerbaijan 2024).

See it in the data
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Question 1 of 3How many seconds can a time penalty be?
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Glossary for this page
Drive-through
A penalty in which the driver must go through the pit lane at the speed limit, without stopping, and rejoin the track.
Stop-and-go
A penalty in which the driver must stop 10 seconds in their box, with the mechanics unable to touch the car, before rejoining the track.
Super licence points
Penalty points the FIA can give a driver. They last 12 months and collecting 12 in that period means a one-race ban.
Track limits
The white lines that mark the edge of the track. Putting all four wheels outside them can cost a warning, or a penalty if repeated or if an advantage is gained.
See the full glossary →
Sources

Sources checked on 18 October 2026. Valid for: figures in the examples are from Formula1.com's guide. The explanations are popular-level: for the exact rules, check the FIA sporting regulations.

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