Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has issued a clear warning to Max Verstappen, reminding the freshly crowned F1 world champion that he will head into the 2025 season with the threat of a race ban looming.
Following his collision with Oscar Piastri in last weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Verstappen was handed a 10-second penalty and two penalty points by the stewards.
The Dutchman took exception – in no uncertain terms – with the time sanction, but after the race he made no reference to his superlicence points tally.
Under FIA regulations, a driver who accumulates 12 penalty points within a rolling 12-month period will face an automatic one-race ban.
With eight points sitting on his license, Verstappen is just four points away from an enforced absence.
Verstappen will therefore need to carefully navigate the first 11 rounds of 2025 before two points are set to expire on June 30, after the Austrian Grand Prix.
“He got two points again and is now on eight, we have to be careful,” Marko admitted
“Certain stewards give more severe punishments, but that's a problem that everyone has and it was mentioned that more consistency would be better.”
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Verstappen's position is particularly precarious given his aggressive driving style, which has often been both a key to his success and a source of controversy. The Dutchman now faces the prospect of missing a race for the first time in his career if he doesn't tread carefully.
The consequences of reaching 12 penalty points were highlighted earlier this year when Haas driver Kevin Magnussen was forced to sit out the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after breaching the limit.
Red Bull is keen to avoid a similar situation with its star driver, especially in a year where Verstappen is expected to contend for a fifth consecutive title.
Marko also addressed Verstappen's blunt radio rant in Abu Dhabi, when he voiced his frustration after learning of his 10-second penalty for clashing with Piastri, sarcastically telling his race engineer: “Can we ask for 20 seconds? “Stupid idiots!”
Marko acknowledging the intense emotions that come with racing at the highest level but suggested Verstappen would have been better inspired by applying more restraint.
“That wasn't very diplomatic,” the Austrian said. “It's the emotions, and at that moment, you don't think very diplomatically.
“Maybe you shouldn't broadcast everything. In football, not everyone has a microphone hanging around their neck; “I don't want to know what kind of comments are being made.”
If Verstappen were to accumulate four more penalty points before the end of June, he would become the first reigning champion in F1 history to be banned from a race. It's a distinction neither the Dutchman nor Red Bull want to claim.
However, Verstappen himself, known for his quick wit as much as his quick driving, took the looming threat in stride.
When asked about the possibility of a ban, he joked, “Yeah, maybe I go to 12 [points] when the baby is born,” referencing the upcoming birth of his child with partner Kelly Piquet.
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The post Marko warns Verstappen: Penalty points could risk 2025 title bid appeared first on F1i.com.
