Verstappen Unmoved by Ban Threat, Vows No Change to Driving Style

Max Verstappen is facing the significant risk of a Formula 1 race ban, currently standing just one penalty point away from the automatic threshold. However, the reigning world champion has stated he will not alter his driving approach in upcoming races despite the looming threat. Verstappen accumulated three penalty points following a collision with George Russell during the recent Spanish Grand Prix. Stewards deemed Verstappen provoked the incident by slowing down to allow Russell to catch up. This latest penalty brought his total to 11 points on his Super Licence, just shy of the 12 points that trigger a mandatory race suspension. Two of Verstappen's current points are set to expire at the end of the current month. Following this expiry, he will still remain three points away from a ban for a further eight rounds. The majority of his penalty points, nine in total, stem from incidents involving other competitors, while the remaining two were issued for a Virtual Safety Car infringement and a qualifying incident last year. Addressing the potential ban, Verstappen indicated it was not a major source of concern. He described missing a race as 'not ideal' but added it would 'not be the end of the world'. Crucially, he was resolute about maintaining his competitive driving style. Verstappen made it clear that the penalty situation would not influence how he races against rivals. He stated there was nothing he could do about the existing points total and intended to focus on performing at his best in every session without changing his fundamental approach. He also mentioned that he had provided his explanation for the Spanish GP incident, attributing it to frustration, and was now focused on moving forward. With the penalty point tally precariously high for the next few races, the spotlight remains on Verstappen's on-track conduct as he navigates the championship without compromising his aggressive style, despite the potential consequence of a race suspension.