Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has cautioned Max Verstappen about the looming possibility of him receiving a race ban in Formula 1 in 2025.
The Dutchman has eight points on his FIA Super License after picking up two penalty points for a collision with Oscar Piastri at the start of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Verstappen was handed a 10-second time penalty from the race stewards for the incident, eventually finishing in sixth place in the final race of the 2024 season.
The F1 penalty points regulations state that any driver who receives 12 points over a 12-month rolling period will sit out the next race that they are set to compete in.
Oliver Bearman had to stand in for Kevin Magnussen in the Haas car at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix due to the Danish racing driver receiving a race ban.
Alongside Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, who is also on eight points, Verstappen is at risk of being forced to sit out a round next season as he bids to retain the title.
Only four points off a race ban, Verstappen must carefully navigate the first 11 rounds of the 2025 season before two penalty points can be taken off his tally on the 30th of June 2025 – the day after the Austrian Grand Prix.
Speaking to Sky Deutschland, Marko said: “He got two points again and is now on eight, we have to be careful.
“Certain stewards give more severe punishments, but that’s a problem that everyone has and it was mentioned that more consistency would be better.”
Marko responds to Verstappen’s criticism of Abu Dhabi stewards
After receiving the news of his time penalty during the Abu Dhabi GP, the four-time World Champion aired his anger towards the race stewards over the team radio.
Verstappen told his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase: “Can we ask for 20 seconds? Stupid idiots!”
Following the race, Marko felt the need to weigh in on the Red Bull driver’s comments.
He said: “That wasn’t very diplomatic, 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 reaches 12 points before the end of June, he will become the first reigning champion to be banned from a race – a record he will not want to claim this time.
However, last week, the 27-year-old announced that he and his partner Kelly Piquet were expecting a baby, so Verstappen has thought of a cunning plan.
“Yeah, maybe I go to 12 [points] when the baby is born,” he quipped to media including Motorsport Week.
READ MORE: FIA delivers verdict on Max Verstappen ‘stupid idiots’ Abu Dhabi rant
