Max Verstappen has made his stance clear ahead of the 2025 F1 season, as the reigning world champion risks a race ban.
Verstappen was once again crowned F1 champion in 2024, with the Dutchman fending off pressure from McLaren's Lando Norris.
Norris took the fight to Verstappen with McLaren having the fastest car, however, the Brit failed to capitalise on his advantage and ultimately fell short due to individual errors.
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The Red Bull driver used every trick in the book to get his fourth title and overstepped the mark on multiple occasions when battling with Norris.
These incidents led to Verstappen receiving plenty of penalty points from the FIA, most notably in Mexico where the 27-year-old was handed a 20-second penalty for driving Norris off the road on multiple occasions.
Why could Verstappen be banned?
The FIA's penalty system involves drivers receiving points on their super license, with the worse the incident is the more penalty points it is likely to acquire.
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If a driver earns 12 penalty points over a certain period, they will be banned for one race and have their penalty points set back to zero.
Verstappen currently has eight points on his super license, and won't have any removed until after the Austrian Grand Prix where two will be deducted.
If a driver is banned for a grand prix, the team are allowed to replace the driver so they don't lose a car for the race, as seen in Baku last year with Ollie Bearman replacing the suspended Kevin Magnussen.
In Red Bull's case, this would likely mean Verstappen would be replaced by RB driver Yuki Tsunoda, who was controversially snubbed by the team to replace Sergio Perez.
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Verstappen responds
Speaking via Blick, Verstappen explained the looming race ban won't have an impact on his aggressive style.
"We could discuss some of the penalties and points here for hours. Like [Fernando] Alonso, I already have eight penalty points," he explained.
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"But I'm not going to change my driving style because of that."
During a promotional video with Red Bull, Verstappen also joked 'Let's make it 40+ next year' after being shown the broadcast graphic of his 20-second penalty in Mexico.
Although Verstappen has been the clear dominant force in F1 over the last four seasons, missing a race in 2025 could have a major impact on the championship battle.
Verstappen may have won the 2024 championship with two races in hand, but from the summer break, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was the driver who won the most points.
Topics: Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, McLaren, Lando Norris, FIA
Tom Jenkins