A surprisingly lenient start to the 2026 season
The 2026 Formula 1 season, despite intense regulatory debate, has so far spared stewards most controversies. While the opening Grands Prix were remarkably calm, the recent Canadian Grand Prix highlighted a worrying trend: the increasingly rare use of penalty points on Super Licences. After unusually quiet disciplinary proceedings in Australia, China, and Japan, Canada saw a return of stewards’ interventions. However, a consistent theme emerged: no penalty points have been issued on Super Licences in 2026. This is a stark contrast to previous seasons, where sporting penalties were invariably accompanied by penalty points, sometimes repeatedly.
This shift follows heated discussions surrounding the cases of Pierre Gasly in late 2022 and Oliver Bearman in late 2024. The governing bodies appear to have adopted a more measured approach, aiming to avoid driver suspensions for infractions deemed minor, while still hoping to maintain the system’s purpose: penalising serious offences and deterring repeat behaviour.
Stewards adopting a more restrained approach
The Canadian Grand Prix provided several telling examples of this new doctrine. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar received two penalties. His defence against Charles Leclerc, involving multiple changes of direction, earned him a ten-second time penalty but no licence points. This decision aligns with the current trend for such potentially dangerous but not overtly intentional infractions.
In the same race, Oscar Piastri was handed a ten-second penalty for his collision with Alexander Albon, again without penalty points. In China, Esteban Ocon received the same penalty for his incident with Franco Colapinto, with no points awarded. These cases, where responsibility is clear and the offence is evident, raise questions about the actual severity of penalty point application.
Furthermore, one of the penalties issued to Hadjar in Montreal raises even more questions. The French driver received a ten-second stop-and-go penalty, one of the heaviest sanctions before disqualification, for failing to slow down ‘significantly’ under double waved yellow flags. This is an infringement of a fundamental safety rule, yet, once again, it resulted in no penalty points.
2026: A shift in penalty philosophy
Drivers have advocated for a more flexible approach to penalties. Information from Motorsport.com reveals that discussions took place this winter between the FIA and the drivers. They expressed a desire for a more lenient application of the points system, focusing only on behaviour deemed deliberate or irresponsible.
This change in paradigm is reflected in the directives provided to stewards for 2026. The document now specifies that for certain infractions, the number of penalty points can be adjusted, ranging from zero to the maximum limit. While this doesn’t radically alter past practices, the emphasis on the possibility of awarding no points is telling.
For double waved yellow flags, the sporting penalty remains a ten-second stop-and-go, with the possibility of awarding up to three penalty points. The same applies to multiple changes of direction. However, regarding collisions, the doctrine is evolving. It is now specified that points should be adjusted ‘relative to the severity of the incident caused’.
A minor ‘touch’ or very light contact will no longer warrant a penalty, with a maximum of zero penalty points. Conversely, for collisions with an ‘apparently deliberate or irresponsible’ intent, four points remain theoretically possible.
F1’s penalty points: An empty shell?
Kevin Magnussen remains the only driver suspended by the points system since 2014.
The intention to soften the application of penalty points is clear. Fewer penalties to focus on the more serious ones, perhaps. But if failing to respect yellow flags is no longer considered a serious enough infraction to warrant points, where is the line drawn?
Taking this logic to its extreme, one might wonder if an incident like the one involving Max Verstappen and George Russell in Spain 2025, widely considered deliberate or at least irresponsible, would have been penalised with points in 2026. If even infringements of fundamental safety rules no longer trigger points, the system seems to be losing its substance.
The penalty points system, introduced in 2014 to penalise serious offences and prevent repeat behaviour, now appears to be stripped of its primary mission. It is only applied in extreme, almost non-existent cases, and no longer adequately considers the notion of repeat offences. The question therefore arises: is it still relevant to maintain this system as it stands? Doubt is certainly warranted.
[une collision]
