F1 penalties explained: time, drive-through, stop-go
A clear guide to F1 penalties: five- and ten-second time penalties, drive-throughs and stop-go penalties, and when stewards use each one.
F1 penalties range from simple time additions to harsher pit-lane punishments, with the stewards choosing the sanction based on the severity of the infringement. The key difference is whether the penalty can be absorbed in a normal pit stop, must be served by driving through the pit lane, or requires a stationary stop.
Time penalties
A five-second or ten-second time penalty is the most common in-race sporting sanction for lesser infringements. Stewards can issue one for incidents such as causing a collision, leaving the track and gaining an advantage, or certain procedural breaches, although the exact decision always depends on the circumstances and the stewards' judgment.
If a driver serves that penalty during the race, it is usually taken at the next pit stop. The car must remain stationary for the penalty time before any work begins, so mechanics cannot touch the car until the five or ten seconds have elapsed. That matters because the penalty is not just added to the total stop time; it must be observed first and then the normal tyre change or other permitted work can start.
When a driver does not pit again, or cannot serve the penalty correctly before the finish, the same five or ten seconds are added to the driver's total race time after the race. A time penalty can also affect the final classification if it is imposed late and there is no realistic chance to serve it on track.
Drive-through penalty
A drive-through penalty is more severe. It requires the driver to enter the pit lane, respect the pit-lane speed limit, pass through without stopping at the team garage, and rejoin the race.
Because the car loses the full time of a pit-lane transit, a drive-through usually costs much more than five or ten seconds. Stewards tend to use it for more serious sporting offences than those that attract a standard time penalty, or for offences where a simple time addition is judged too light. Examples can include significant procedural breaches or clear on-track infringements, depending on the case.
This penalty must normally be served within a set number of laps after notification under the sporting regulations in force for that season. If it is not served, it is converted into a post-race time penalty, which is intended to reflect the larger loss that a drive-through would have caused during the race.
Stop-and-go penalty
A stop-and-go penalty is harsher again. The driver must enter the pit lane, stop in the team's pit box for the specified time, and then leave without the team working on the car during that stationary period.
In modern Formula 1, the standard version is a ten-second stop-and-go penalty. It is reserved for serious infringements where stewards consider a drive-through insufficient, or for specific procedural offences that the regulations treat more strictly. As with other sanctions, the exact trigger depends on the rule broken and the stewards' assessment.
Unlike a five- or ten-second time penalty served at a routine pit stop, a stop-and-go is a standalone punishment. The driver cannot use it to combine service and penalty in the same way. If it is not served correctly during the race, it is converted into a post-race time penalty under the regulations, which can heavily alter the finishing order.