Max Verstappen’s penalty points rise to eight, prompting Helmut Marko to stress caution amid concerns over inconsistent steward decisions.
Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s motorsport consultant, believes Max Verstappen must be cautious to avoid triggering an automatic race ban in 2025.
Verstappen accumulated eight penalty points during the final round in Abu Dhabi due to his race start.
“He picked up another two points,” Marko noted following the world champion’s collision with Oscar Piastri in the first corner.
Any driver reaching 12 penalty points faces an automatic ban, as Kevin Magnussen did earlier this year.
“He’s now at eight, so we need to start being careful.”
Marko fears Verstappen could edge closer to a penalty unexpectedly due to inconsistencies in penalty enforcement.
“With some stewards, the penalties are often harsher.”
“But this is an issue everyone faces, and it has been raised repeatedly: more consistency here would be better and would also improve the sport.”
Verstappen will have to race at least 11 events with these eight penalty points in 2025, as the tally won’t decrease (barring further penalties) until June.
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Marko Warns: Stewards’ Decisions Put Max at Risk Marko Warns: Stewards’ Decisions Put Max at Risk
