Max Verstappen could hardly have asked for better timing. The four-time champion arrives at the Monaco Grand Prix with a completely clean FIA superlicence after the last of his penalty points expired at the start of June.
Not long ago he was the driver most likely to trigger an automatic one-race ban, weighed down by points dating back to incidents including the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix. But the FIA's penalty points roll off a licence 12 months after they are handed out, and Verstappen's final three dropped away in early June — turning his record from precarious to pristine.
That leaves Haas rookie Oliver Bearman as the new man on the edge. Bearman holds eight points, down from a high of ten after two expired following Canada, having overtaken Verstappen on the danger list back at the 2025 Italian Grand Prix.
The broader picture is unusual: not one driver has picked up a single penalty point all season. Revised stewarding guidelines now reserve points for genuinely dangerous, reckless or deliberate incidents, raising the threshold considerably.
For Verstappen, the clean slate matters most at a track like Monaco, where the barriers are unforgiving and any contact carries risk. After a fractious Canadian weekend that sparked debate about his conduct, he heads into F1's crown jewel with nothing hanging over him — free to race the streets exactly as he pleases.
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*Originally published on [Newsformula One](https://newsformula.one/article/verstappen-zero-penalty-points-monaco-clean-slate). Visit for full coverage.*