Max Verstappen was unleashed at the FIA after a five -second penalty cost him the Saudi Grand Prix. Red Bull defended this decision, calling for the decision hard, while McLaren Oscar Piastri won the victory at Djeddah.
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Max Verstappen remained furious after receiving a five -second penalty which cost him the victory at the Saudi Grand Prix on Sunday. The Red Bull pilot started from pole position, but a controversial first -touch incident with a possible winner Oscar Piastri has changed everything.
What happened?
The drama started 2 on the turn 1, when Verstappen came out of the track while fighting Piastri and joined the circuit still in the lead. The commissioners later ruled that Piastri was entitled to space inside, and Verstappen had gained an advantage by not abandoning the position. Consequently, Verstappen received a five -second penalty, which saw him lose the advance during the stops at the stands.
Despite a solid performance and the maintenance of Piastri throughout the race, the penalty turned out to be expensive. Piastri won his third victory of the season and now led the championship for the first time in his career.
Verstappen Slams FIA
After the race, Verstappen was clearly frustrated but kept his brief comments, suggesting that talking about his mind could cause even more problems with the FIA.
“Yeah – the beginning happened. Tour 1 occurred. And suddenly it was Tour 50. Everything went very quickly. The problem is that I cannot share my opinion on this subject, because I could also be penalized. It is better not to talk about it,” said Versappen.
“I think it’s just the world we live in,” he said. “You cannot fully share your opinion, because it is not appreciated, apparently. Or people cannot manage the complete truth. It is honestly exactly how everything becomes, everyone is super sensitive to everything.
Red Bull Raves
Red Bull’s director of the Red Bull team was not satisfied with the decision. He even showed the media a printed image of the on -board camera from Verstappen which, according to him, proved that Max was ahead at the top of the corner.
“I do not see how they arrived at this conclusion. They both entered the same speed, Oscar race deeply in the area, Max cannot simply disappear … Maybe these rules need an overview,” said Horner.
Horner added that Red Bull had not asked Verstappen to return the place to Piastri because they thought he had done nothing wrong.
“The rules of engagement they discussed previously … It was a very severe decision. If we had abandoned the post, Max should have faced the dirty air and perhaps waste more time against George Russell,” he added.
Red Bull’s advisor Helmut Marko also weighed, supporting Verstappen and blaming the penalty for loss.
“I think the race was lost at the start. And really, where was supposed to go max? ” He told Sky Germany.
