Max Verstappen could face a race ban if he receives four or more penalty points in the opening five races of the 2016 season, after notching up eight in the last six months.
The Dutch driver was handed two penalty points after colliding with Romain Grosjean in Monaco, plus another three for speeding behind the safety car in Hungary.
The Toro Rosso rookie was then penalised for a further two incidents in Abu Dhabi.
Along with a five-second time penalty, Verstappen was given one penalty point for gaining an advantage by leaving the circuit during a duel with McLaren’s Jenson Button.
A further two penalty points followed, plus a post-race drive-through, for ignoring waved blue flags whilst Lewis Hamilton was trying to lap the 18-year-old.
Should Verstappen collect another four, he will automatically face a race ban under new rules imposed last season.
Penalty points expire after a 12-month period, therefore he will have eight on his super licence until the 2016 Monaco Grand Prix, when the first two will expire.
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