Was Max Verstappen penalized by the FIA? Despite two impeding incidents involving Lando Norris and Lance Stroll, the Dutchman and his Red Bull team have now received the stewards’ verdict
Max Verstappen penalized by FIA? No. During yesterday’s Sprint Qualifying, Verstappen was involved in two notable blocking incidents, one affecting Lando Norris and the other Lance Stroll. Both drivers voiced their frustration over team radio — Norris from McLaren and Stroll from Aston Martin — but in the end, Max avoided penalties, although he certainly ran a significant risk.
The blocking moves on Norris and Stroll were ultimately not deemed penalty-worthy by the FIA, who justified the decision as follows: “Car 1 (Max Verstappen) exceeded the minimum required time between Safety Car Line 1 and Safety Car Line 2 by approximately 6 seconds during Sprint Qualifying 2 but complied with the requirement on all other laps. Telemetry data showed the driver maintained a constant speed throughout the lap, even when no other cars were nearby, as if managing the delta of approximately 6 seconds above the required figure”. “.
According to Red Bull, the team presented their explanation to the FIA, demonstrating that due to a steering wheel display error on Verstappen’s car, the time delta had been increased by exactly 6 seconds compared to the standard value. The team, with Gianpiero Lambiase leading the communication, instructed Max to manage an additional 6 seconds on top of the indicated time shown on the RB21’s dashboard.
As a result, Max managed to avoid grid penalties thanks to this “issue” on the steering wheel, which forced him to slow down in order to respect the adjusted delta. For the FIA, despite the two clear impeding cases — Norris in Sector 1 and Stroll at the final corner during SQ2 — this explanation was sufficient to avoid applying grid penalties. However, the Milton Keynes-based team was nonetheless issued a fine.
Photo: Oracle Red Bull Racing