Lance Stroll receives penalty point for aggressive defense against Carlos Sainz in Abu Dhabi

Aston Martin's Lance Stroll has been handed a penalty point on his F1 super licence for an aggressive defensive move against Williams driver Carlos Sainz during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This follows a five-second time penalty applied during the race, which cost him one position in the final classification.

Why it matters:

The incident highlights the FIA's continued focus on enforcing strict rules against dangerous defending, particularly the prohibition of making more than one change of direction on a straight. With Stroll now accumulating six penalty points, and other drivers like Oliver Bearman nearing a potential race ban, the governing body is signaling a zero-tolerance approach to moves that could cause high-speed collisions.

The details:

• The stewards reviewed video evidence and determined that Stroll, in car #18, "made multiple moves in defending against Car 55 [Sainz] on the straight before turn 9," constituting a clear breach of the sporting regulations.
• This penalty point adds to the five-second time penalty Stroll served during the race, which demoted him from ninth to tenth in the final results.
• The incident was part of a trio of similar penalties issued in Abu Dhabi, with Yuki Tsunoda and Oliver Bearman also sanctioned for making one change of direction while defending their positions.

By the numbers:

• 6: Lance Stroll's total penalty points now, putting him joint-third on the current disciplinary chart alongside Liam Lawson.
• 10: Oliver Bearman leads all drivers with 10 penalty points, placing him just two away from an automatic one-race ban.
• 8: Yuki Tsunoda holds eight points, though his move to a reserve role for 2026 makes a ban unlikely unless he returns to a race seat.
• 12: The total number of points a driver can accumulate within a 12-month period before facing a mandatory race suspension.

What's next:

Stroll's penalty point will remain on his licence for the next 12 months. For drivers like Bearman, who is flirting with the ban threshold, the start of the 2026 season will require immaculate discipline to avoid triggering a suspension. The consistent application of these penalties in Abu Dhabi sets a clear precedent for driving standards as teams head into the off-season.