Verstappen unfazed by potential race ban: ‘I won’t change my style’
Max Verstappen has never been one to tiptoe around the competition, and even the looming threat of a race ban in 2025 isn’t about to soften the reigning four-time world champion’s approach.
Sitting precariously on eight penalty points – just four shy of the dreaded 12-point threshold that triggers an automatic race ban – the reigning world champion remains resolute in his aggressive, uncompromising driving style.
Last year, Haas’ Kevin Magnussen became the first F1 driver to rack up 12 points over a 12-month period, which sent the Dane to the sidelines at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Verstappen remains unfazed however, even though he’ll remain on eight points until June 30th when he’ll drop two points from his current tally.
"I won’t change my driving style because of that," Verstappen declared to Blick.
"I know when I’ve gone too far. Like at the finale in Abu Dhabi when I attacked Piastri at the start. I had no problem apologising to [him] after the race.
“If you spur my ambition, things can get going,” he added, hinting that poking the bear is never a good idea.
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“As for the penalties? Verstappen is skeptical about their consistency, a sentiment shared by many drivers on the grid.
“We could discuss some of the penalties and the points for hours. Now, like Alonso, I already have eight penalty points. But I’m [not] going to change my driving style.”
The "points conversation" hasn’t gone unnoticed by Red Bull’s top brass either. Team advisor Helmut Marko acknowledged the tightrope Verstappen is walking.
“He got two points again and is now on eight. We have to be careful,” Marko told Sky Deutschland after F1’s season finale in Abu Dhabi.
“Certain stewards give more severe punishments, but that’s a problem that everyone has, and it was mentioned that more consistency would be better.”
With the first half of the 2025 season set to test Verstappen’s ability to balance his audacious driving with the FIA’s stricter enforcement, fans can only watch and wonder: Will he toe the line, or will Max be Max?
Either way, don’t expect him to hold back.
Verstappen's penalty points expiration schedule:
June 30th, 2025 – 2 points: For causing a collision with Lando Norris during the 2024 Austrian GP.
October 27th, 2025 – 2 points: For forcing Lando Norris off-track during the 2024 Mexico City GP.
November 1st, 2025 – 1 point: For being under the VSC minimum delta in Sao Paulo GP sprint.
December 1st, 2025 – 1 point: For driving unnecessarily slowly on qualifying cooldown lap at Qatar GP.
December 8th, 2025 – 2 points: For causing a collision with Oscar Piastri in 2024 Abu Dhabi GP.
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