Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll has had one penalty point added to his F1 super licence for defending too aggressively against Carlos Sainz at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the FIA has confirmed.
It comes after Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda and Haas driver Oliver Bearman were penalised for the same offence of making one change of direction in defence.
Lance Stroll given FIA penalty point for Carlos Sainz incident at Abu Dhabi GP
Stroll ended a run of eight races without a point – stretching back to the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August – to claim a 10th-place finish at the F1 2025 season finale in Abu Dhabi.
With teammate Fernando Alonso coming home a fine sixth, Stroll’s result marked Aston Martin’s first two-car points finish since Zandvoort and only the team’s fourth of the entire season.
Stroll initially finished ninth on the road in Abu Dhabi, but a five-second penalty for making more than one direction change while defending against the Williams of Sainz, dropping one spot to 10th in the final classification.
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The FIA has announced that Stroll has also been handed one penalty point, putting him on six for the current 12-month period.
The stewards’ verdict read: “The Stewards reviewed video and in-car video evidence.
“Car 18 made multiple moves in defending against Car 55 on the straight before turn 9. This is a breach of the regulations.”
Under F1’s current penalty points system, introduced in 2014, drivers face an automatic one-race ban if they accumulate 12 points inside a 12-month window.
Stroll’s penalty has put him joint third on F1’s disciplinary chart, with Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson also on six points currently.
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Tsunoda, the outgoing Red Bull driver, sits second on eight penalty points, with Bearman leading the way with 10 – putting the Haas youngster just two away from a ban.
Tsunoda was also handed a five-second penalty and a penalty point in Abu Dhabi for his aggressive defence against Lando Norris, the newly crowned world champion, on the back straight.
With Tsunoda demoted to a test-and-reserve role for F1 2026, however, the Japanese driver is unlikely to trigger a ban unless he makes an unexpected return to a race seat during next season.
Bearman, meanwhile, was also penalised five seconds and handed a penalty point for making more than one change of direction against Stroll on the fast straight approaching Turn 9.
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