Credits: IMAGO Marco Canoniero

Sergio Perez’s start to the 2024 season has been good, easing the pressure on him after his dip in form last year. Still, the Mexican driver remains in trouble, not of losing his Red Bull seat but of getting a race ban for his team’s unsafe release in Saudi Arabia earlier this campaign.

Penalty points are given out to the drivers’ super license as a punishment for mistakes they or their teams make on the track. A total of 12 penalty points results in one race ban and as things stand, Sergio Perez is just four points away. With a total of eight, he is tied with Logan Sargeant at the top of the list as per the latest update following the Chinese GP.

The 34-year-old received the first penalty point at the Singapore GP last season. Stewards deemed him responsible for a collision with Alex Albon during the race in Marina Bay. At the very next race in Japan, Perez got four points – firstly because of overtaking Fernando Alonso under Safety Car conditions and then because of another collision with Kevin Magnussen.

Perez’s season ended with two more points for a shunt with Lando Norris in Abu Dhabi and the Guadalajara-born driver would have been hoping that was the end.

Unfortunately, in the second race of the 2024 season, Perez got another penalty point. This wasn’t down to his mistake, as Red Bull was found guilty of unsafe release in the pit lane when Perez came in for his stop. Four more points and Perez will end up being forced to sit out a race. This outcome could be catastrophic for the Milton-Keynes-based outfit’s fight for the Constructors” Championship.

Why does the FIA give drivers penalty points?

The FIA gives drivers penalty points to encourage greater discipline on the race track. If a driver receives a total of 12 penalty points in 12 months, they receive a race ban. After those 12 months, drivers get a clean slate and start afresh.

Alongside Sergio Perez, Sargeant is another driver who is in trouble of getting a race ban. As per the latest report following the Chinese GP, the American driver is also four points away from missing a race.

Following Sergio Perez and Sargeant is the Aston Martin duo of Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso. Stroll has seven penalty points, whereas Alonso has six. While not in immediate danger of having to sit out a race, both drivers would look to be careful in the coming rounds.

Max Verstappen, Zhou Guanyu, Valtteri Bottas, Nico Hulkenberg, and Daniel Ricciardo have the least amount of points on their super licenses (two).