Hamilton and Russell closest to a one-race suspension

The 2021 Formula 1 season has started and with 23 races on the calendar the drivers can look forward to a long season. Looking at the penalty points, some drivers have to be more careful than others.

Formula 1 has been working with penalty points on the licence for a couple of years now. These penalty points can be given to a driver by committing a mistake or infringement during a Grand Prix weekend. If a driver gets 12 points in 12 months he has to sit out one race.

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton will not be starting the season with a clean sheet. They are both already on six points, which means they are already half way to a suspension. Hamilton came close in 2020 when he needed just a few points for a suspension. A few points have been lost since then, because the points had already expired.

Lando Norris and Kimi Raikkonen are also the drivers to watch out for with five and four points respectively. There are also seven other drivers who have penalty points to their name. Nine drivers on the grid are still on zero points, including Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso and of course the three Rookies.