Max Verstappen narrowly escaped a race suspension after the latest FIA penalty points threshold rules were applied following his collision with George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix. The updated regulations specify how penalty points are assigned, and Verstappen would have received four points if his actions were deemed reckless or deliberate, but the stewards awarded only three points instead.
FIA’s Ruling on Verstappen’s Incident in Spain
The stewards concluded that Verstappen’s contact with Russell “caused a collision” but did not result in “immediate and obvious sporting consequence,” which led to a more lenient penalty rather than a harsher sanction. Despite Russell needing to react to avoid further collision, both drivers managed to continue racing without significant damage. This decision placed Verstappen at 11 penalty points on his super license, just one point short of triggering an automatic one-race ban under FIA rules that impose such suspension when a driver accumulates 12 points within a year.
Impact of the Redesigned FIA Penalty Framework
The FIA recently updated its guidelines to improve clarity and fairness in assessing driver behavior and penalties. The new framework clearly defines levels of infractions such as reckless or deliberate driving and associates appropriate penalty points accordingly. This change aims to increase consistency across race stewards’ decisions and reduce ambiguity in future incidents.
For Verstappen and the Red Bull team, the outcome is a stark warning. With only a single penalty point separating Verstappen from an enforced suspension, the margin for error has become critically narrow for the championship contender as the season advances.
