Hamilton must behave properly in Abu Dhabi to avoid grid penalty

Last weekend in Saudi Arabia there were again several penalties and warnings handed out. Lewis Hamilton will have to be careful to avoid a penalty this weekend in Abu Dhabi, while Max Verstappen is over halfway through his permitted penalty period.

Hamilton is just one reprimand away from a grid penalty. During the third free practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the Briton received a warning for an incident with Nikita Mazepin. He prevented the Haas driver from completing a fast lap, almost causing a collision.

In Mexico, the seven-time world champion also received a warning when he failed to comply with instructions from the race committee. That means Hamilton already has two cautions to his name. If a driver receives three reprimands in a season, two of which are for driving offences, he will be penalised ten places for the race.

In Abu Dhabi, Hamilton will have to avoid getting in anyone's way during free practice and qualifying. Should he receive a warning for an offence related to his driving, he will be relegated to the back of the grid on Sunday.

Penalty points Verstappen

Verstappen received three penalty points for his actions last weekend, giving him a total of seven penalty points. These have no consequences for now. The points remain active over a period of twelve months. Only twelve points will result in a ban from racing, so Verstappen is just over halfway. The first two penalty points will only be removed in September 2022.