Verstappen slapped with further 10-second penalty for second incident in dramatic Saudi Arabian GP

Verstappen
had
already
been
slapped
with
a
five-second
penalty
for
the
Turn
1
incident
–
the
Red
Bull
star
and
championship
leader
was
deemed
to
have
gained
an
unfair
advantage
going
off
track.

The
stewards
imposed
a
further
punishment
after
the
race
for
a
Turn
27
collision,
which
ultimately
did
not
impact
Verstappen’s
finish,
having
crossed
the
line
in
second
behind
Mercedes
rival
and
reigning
F1
champion
Hamilton.

Hamilton
labels
Verstappen
driving
‘over
the
limit’
after
Saudi
Arabia
drama

As
a
result,
Hamilton
and
Verstappen
will
still
head
into
the
final
Grand
Prix
of
the
2021
season,
Abu
Dhabi,
level
on
369.5
points.

Verstappen’s
secondary
penalty
was
for
causing
a
turn
27
collision
with
Hamilton
when
he
braked
suddenly,
causing
the
Briton
to
clip
the
car
head,
damaging
his
front
wing.

Hamilton
was
critical
of
Verstappen
after
the
race,
saying
his
driving
was
“over
the
limit”
while
claiming
he
brake-tested
him
in
the
Turn
27
incident,
leading
to
the
10-second
penalty.

“I
definitely
feel
that
there
were
scenarios
where
that
was
the
case,”
Hamilton
told
reporters
when
asked
if
he
thought
Verstappen
drove
dangerously.

“This
is
not
the
first
time
that
I’ve
had
to
avoid
a
collision,
that’s
how
I
felt
at
the
moment,
but
you
know
sometimes
you
say
things
in
the
heat
of
the
moment
and
you
go
back
and
re-watch
things
and
then
you
maybe
feel
differently
but
in
the
moment
that’s
how
it
felt.
But
I
really
just
tried
to
recompose
myself
and
chase
down
and
keep
fighting.”

Hear
Max
and
Lewis’ thoughts
immediately
after
the
race
????#SaudiArabianGP
????????

#F1
pic.twitter.com/a0efgGmUaF

—
Formula
1
(@F1)

December
5,
2021

The
incident
was
the
latest
flashpoint
between
the
two
title
rivals,
but
Verstappen
indicated
he
felt
he
was
harshly
penalised.

“I
find
it
interesting
that
I
am
the
one
who
gets
the
penalty
when
both
of
us
ran
outside
of
the
white
lines,” Verstappen
told
reporters
after
the
Turn
1
incident.
“In
Brazil
it
was
fine
and
now
suddenly
I
get
a
penalty
for
it.

“You
could
clearly
see
both
didn’t
make
the
corner,
but
it’s
fine.
I
mean
I
also
don’t
really
spend
too
much
time
on
it.
We
have
to
move
forward.

Hamilton
levels
drivers’
championship
after
chaotic
Saudi
Arabian
Grand
Prix

“We’re
equal
on
points
on
now
and
I
think
that’s
really
exciting,
of
course,
for
the
whole
championship
and
Formula
1
in
general
but
I
said
it
earlier
on
my
in-lap,
I
think
lately
we’re
talking
more
about
white
lines
and
penalties
than
actually
proper
Formula
1
racing
and
that’s,
I
think,
a
little
bit
of
a
shame.”

The
stewards
report
on
the
Turn
27
incident
said:
“In
deciding
to
penalise
the
driver
of
car
33
[Verstappen],
the
key
point
for
the
Stewards
was
that
the
driver
of
car
33
then
braked
suddenly
[69
bar’
and
significantly,
resulting
in
2.4g
deceleration.

“Whilst
accepting
that
the
driver
of
car
44
[Hamilton]
could
have
overtaken
car
33
when
that
car
first
slowed,
we
understand
why
he
[and
the
driver
of
car
33]
did
not
wish
to
be
the
first
to
cross
the
DRS
[line].

“However,
the
sudden
braking
by
the
driver
of
car
33
was
determined
by
the
stewards
to
be
erratic
and
hence
the
predominant
cause
of
the
collision
and
hence
the
standard
penalty
of
10
seconds
for
this
type
of
incident,
is
imposed.”