Stewards’ investigations into incidents between drivers on track and other misdemeanours have become increasingly commonplace in F1, with different totting-up procedures in place to deter repeat offenders.
With the 2016 season entering its final races, we take a look at how the tables for driver penalty points and reprimands stands…
Driver penalty points
Since 2014, F1 has had a penalty points system in place akin to the one used on roads to punish driving offences.
Any driver who accrues 12 points on their superlicence over a rolling 12-month period receives a one-race ban. Points are wiped when the year anniversary of the respective offence is reached. No driver has yet reached the 12-point limit.
Haas driver Esteban Gutierrez leads the table after the Japanese GP with seven points, five of which were collected in the space of just three races either side of the summer break. The Mexican picked up three at Spa for blocking Pascal Wehrlein on the 200mph Kemmel Straight.
Championship leader Nico Rosberg is next up with six after being found at fault for collisions with Lewis Hamilton (Austria), Max Verstappen (Germany) and Kimi Raikkonen (Malaysia). Despite not having a reputation as one of the sport's more aggressive drivers, Valtteri Bottas also has collected six points, as has Sauber's Felipe Nasr.
The F1 drivers' half-term report
Lewis Hamilton is one of five drivers with a clean licence, while Max Verstappen has not added any extra points to his record in 2016 despite a string of high-profile wheel-to-wheel battles.
Verstappen accrued a record eight points in his debut F1 campaign last season, but just three now remain on his licence from Abu Dhabi last November with the Red Bull driver successfully steering clear of trouble with the stewards so far in 2016.
Driver reprimands
Although Hamilton has no penalty points to his name, the world champion jointly leads the way for reprimands after the season's opening 17 rounds - leaving him one away from a grid penalty.
Reprimands are usually issued by stewards for more minor infringements and a 10-place grid drop is applied if a driver receives three of them during any one season, provided two were meted out for driving offences.
Hamilton's two reprimands both fall into this category. In Bahrain he was punished for briefly reversing in the pit lane after qualifying, while in Russia he was warned about not rejoining the track in the correct manner during practice.
The world championship leader, who took a big grid penalty after the summer break for exceeding engine elements, is therefore one more reprimand of any kind away from a costly 10-place drop.
Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz is the only other driver on two reprimands for the season.