Vettel, Sainz Lead F1 Driver Fines So Far in 2022

All 20 drivers have committed some kind of offense, but who faces the heftiest fine bill?

With just nine races to go, the statistics are racking up for Formula One’s 20 drivers and 10 teams—but it’s not just the championship races and budgets they need to be mindful of. 

It’s also the rule breakers on and off the circuits. 

What may be surprising to F1 fans is that while Alex Albon and Yuki Tsunoda are tied for the most offenses (eight) with a mixed bag of warnings and penalties, the Williams and AlphaTauri drivers are not the ones who have accrued the most fines. That would be Sebastian Vettel with €35,900 in penalties, per formula1.com. 

A significant portion of this stems from the €25,000 suspended fine at the Austrian Grand Prix due to his behavior at the reportedly tense drivers meeting. The Aston Martin driver exited the meeting “without permission” after “expressing frustration.” Additionally, Vettel was dealt a €5,000 fine for illegally riding a scooter on Melbourne’s track. 

A close second, though, is Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who has totaled €25,000 worth of fines so far this campaign. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez has been penalized €10,600 while a group of five drivers have lost €10,000—Charles Leclerc, Daniel Ricciardo, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Zhou Guanyu. 

As far as offenses go, all 20 drivers have been guilty of something so far this season. Hamilton, Verstappen and Mick Schumacher have only committed one each. 

Aston Martin and Ferrari face significant fine bills, but Haas F1 and Alpine manage to still have clean sheets with 13 races in the rear view mirror. Can they finish the season without having to pay a single fine?