Formula 1 driver could already be facing a ban in 2023

Due to FIA rules, one Formula 1 driver is already at risk of being banned from a race near the beginning of the 2023 season.

Entering the 2023 Formula 1 season, 17 drivers have at least one penalty point to their name, with 15 of those drivers set to compete throughout the upcoming 23-race campaign.

Just five drivers — Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr., Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas, AlphaTauri rookie Nyck de Vries, and Williams rookie Logan Sargeant — are totally unscathed heading into the new season.

The driver who leads everyone with 10 penalty points, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, is just two points away from being issued a one-race ban, as any driver who reaches 12 points must sit out the next race.

Gasly reached 10 points when he was given one for leaving the track and gaining an advantage during the Mexico City Grand Prix at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in late October, leading some to suggest that he should intentionally receive a suspension toward the end of the 2022 season to avoid having to serve it in 2023 after leaving AlphaTauri for Alpine.

The most worrying part for Gasly, however, isn’t the fact that he sits at 10 points.

It’s the fact that he is guaranteed to have at least 10 points through the first seven races of the season, as none of his points expire until after the Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

The first two of his 10 points don’t expire until Monday, May 22, which is nearly one-third of the way into the new season.

Here’s how he racked up his 10 points during the 2022 season.

• Spanish Grand Prix (May), 2 points: Collision with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll
  • Expiration date: Monday, May 22
• Austrian Grand Prix (July), 2 points: Collision with Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel
  • Expiration date: Monday, July 10
• Austrian Grand Prix (July), 1 point: Leaving the track “without a justifiable reason” on multiple occasions
  • Expiration date: Monday, July 10
• Japanese Grand Prix (October), 2 points: Speeding under red flag conditions, an incident which generated massive attention because of the presence of the recovery tractor on the track at the time
  • Expiration date: Monday, October 9
• United States Grand Prix (October), 2 points: Falling more than 10 car lengths behind during the Safety Car period
  • Expiration date: Monday, October 23
• Mexico City Grand Prix (October), 1 point: Leaving the track and gaining an advantage
  • Expiration date: Monday, October 30

The 2023 Formula 1 season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, March 5 with the Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit. ESPN is set to broadcast the race live beginning at 10:00 a.m. ET.