 "Max Verstappen reacts furiously, takes aim at FIA after time penalty in Saudi Arabian Grand Prix")
Max Verstappen was left furious after being handed a five-second time penalty that cost him victory at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday. The Red Bull driver had started from pole position, but a controversial first-lap incident with eventual winner Oscar Piastri changed everything.
What happened?
The drama began right at Turn 2 on Lap 1, when Verstappen went off the track while battling Piastri and rejoined the circuit still in the lead. The stewards later ruled that Piastri was entitled to space on the inside, and Verstappen had gained an advantage by not giving up the position. As a result, Verstappen was handed a five-second penalty, which saw him lose the lead during the pit stops.
Despite putting in a strong performance and keeping close to Piastri throughout the race, the penalty proved costly. Piastri went on to win his third victory of the season and is now leading the championship for the first time in his career.
Verstappen slams FIA
After the race, Verstappen was clearly frustrated but kept his comments short, hinting that speaking his mind might lead to even more trouble with the FIA.
“Yeah - the start happened. Turn 1 happened. And suddenly it was Lap 50. It just all went super fast. The problem is that I cannot share my opinion about it, because I might also get penalised. It’s better not to speak about it,” Verstappen said.
“I think it’s just the world we live in,” he said. “You can’t share fully your opinion, because it’s not appreciated, apparently. Or people can’t handle the full truth. It’s honestly just how everything is becoming, everyone is super-sensitive about everything. And of course, what we have currently, like we cannot be critical anyway. So that’s fine. Less talking, even better for me,” he added.
Red Bull pushes back
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was also unhappy with the decision. He even showed the media a printed image from Verstappen’s onboard camera that he claimed proved Max was ahead at the apex of the corner.
“I can’t see how they got to that conclusion. They’ve both gone in at the same speed, Oscar’s run deep into the corner, Max can’t just disappear… perhaps these rules need a look at,” Horner said.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsHorner added that Red Bull didn’t ask Verstappen to give the place back to Piastri because they believed he hadn’t done anything wrong.
“The rules of engagement they discussed previously… it was a very harsh decision. If we had given up the position, Max would’ve had to deal with dirty air and maybe lose more time to George Russell too,” he added.
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko also weighed in, backing Verstappen and blaming the penalty for the loss.
“I think the race was lost at the start. And really, where was Max supposed to go?” he told Sky Germany.
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