Verstappen’s Harsh Penalty Sparks Debate in Formula 1
In a contentious decision, Max Verstappen was handed a five-second penalty during the recent Formula 1 race, which allowed Oscar Piastri to take the lead and secure his third win in five grands prix this season. The penalty, imposed for cutting the chicane after the start and gaining a lasting advantage, was deemed "very harsh" by Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.
According to the BBC, Verstappen’s radio messages during the race clearly indicated he did not approve of the penalty, but he was warned to keep his thoughts to himself. Horner questioned the decision, rhetorically asking: "Whatever happened to ‘let them race on the first lap?’ That just seems to have been abandoned."
The stewards’ verdict provided an explanation for the penalty, stating that the normal penalty for leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage was 10 seconds, but they reduced it to five because it was the first lap. The BBC reported that Verstappen was penalised for cutting the chicane after the start and keeping the lead.
Piastri had got fully alongside Verstappen on the inside on the entry to the first corner, but Verstappen cut the second part of the chicane and retained the lead. According to the BBC, F1’s driving standards guidelines effectively say that the corner was Piastri’s in that situation.
The guidelines state that for a driver overtaking on the inside to be "entitled to be given room (his car) must have its front axle at least alongside the mirror of the other car prior to and at the apex, be driven in a fully controlled manner particularly from entry to apex and not have ‘dived in”; and in the stewards’ estimation have taken a reasonable racing line and been able to complete the move while remaining within track limits." Piastri comfortably complied with all these criteria.
"I thought I was plenty far enough up [alongside] and in the end that’s what got me the race," Piastri said, as quoted by the BBC. "I knew that I had enough of my car alongside to take the corner. We obviously both braked extremely late. For me, I braked as late as I could while staying on the track. And I think how it unfolded is how it should have been dealt with."
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella also supported Piastri’s claim to the corner, saying: "Oscar, thanks to a very good launch off the grid, and thanks to positioning the car on the inside, [was] slightly ahead of Max, managing to keep the car within the track limits, then he gained the rights [to the corner], and obviously in that situation you can’t overtake off track. This is a clear case. It shouldn’t create any polemic, really."
The incident had significant implications for the race, as Verstappen led until the first pit stops, when he served the penalty and dropped behind Piastri, who controlled the race from there to take his third win in five grands prix this season. As the BBC reported, Piastri’s win included a bold move around the outside of Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari on the approach to the high-speed Turns 22 and 23 at a critical point of the race, to minimise his time loss on the lap Verstappen stopped.
Verstappen had shown strong pace in the first stint, tracked closely by the McLaren, and was pulling away slightly by the time Piastri made his stop on lap 19. Once into the lead, Piastri controlled the race but was unable to extend the gap to Verstappen despite having the advantage of clean air.
The incident has sparked debate in the Formula 1 community, with some questioning the harshness of the penalty and others supporting the stewards’ decision. As reported by the BBC, the incident highlights the complexities of the sport and the challenges faced by drivers and stewards in making split-second decisions.
