F1 | After Max Verstappen, another driver faces possible race ban ahead of Baku. Another Formula 1 driver is now at risk ahead of the Azerbaijan.

For several weeks, Verstappen’s situation was at the center of debate. The Dutchman had accumulated a significant number of penalty points, raising the possibility of a suspension. In the end, he managed to avoid reaching the limit thanks to a clean run in recent races, with no further sanctions from the stewards keeping him safely on the grid.

A driver at risk of suspension

On the eve of the Baku Grand Prix, however, the issue of suspensions is back in the spotlight. Looking at the FIA penalty points table, it becomes clear that one driver is dangerously close to the limit of 12 points within a 12-month period. Oliver Bearman, despite this being his very first season as a full-time Formula 1 driver, has already reached 10 penalty points.

Should the British rookie commit further infractions during free practice or qualifying in Azerbaijan, he could be forced to sit out the race and watch from the Haas garage. It would be a strange déjà-vu: last year at Baku, Bearman stepped into the car himself to replace Kevin Magnussen, who was serving a suspension at the time.

The penalty points standings ahead of Baku

Looking at the overall situation, Verstappen remains the next most at risk after Bearman, with nine points on his license. Behind him are Liam Lawson and Oscar Piastri with six points each. The Ferrari camp has little to worry about: Lewis Hamilton sits on two penalty points while Charles Leclerc has just one.

Here is the current penalty points table before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix:

• Oliver Bearman: 10 points
• Max Verstappen: 9 points
• Liam Lawson: 6 points
• Oscar Piastri: 6 points
• Lance Stroll: 5 points
• Andrea Kimi Antonelli: 5 points
• Yuki Tsunoda: 5 points
• Carlos Sainz: 4 points
• Lando Norris: 3 points
• Franco Colapinto: 3 points
• Alex Albon: 2 points
• Pierre Gasly: 2 points
• Lewis Hamilton: 2 points
• George Russell: 1 point
• Charles Leclerc: 1 point
• Nico Hulkenberg: 0 points
• Fernando Alonso: 0 points
• Gabriel Bortoleto: 0 points
• Isack Hadjar: 0 points
• Esteban Ocon: 0 points