F1 Drivers’ Championship leader Max Verstappen is unhappy that he was given a penalty for going off the track during his battle with Lewis Hamilton in Saudi Arabia.
The Dutchman believes that his title rival also didn’t make the corner, but didn’t receive the same punishment as him.
“Yeah, so he had the run, a bit like Brazil, and I braked late and I think I got a little bit off-line at one point, I guess, and I had a moment. I went wide, but he also didn’t make the corner, so we both basically missed the corner, and I don’t think it’s fair to then just say that I get a penalty but, yeah, it is what it is,” said Verstappen.
The 24-year-old had a hard-fought battle with Hamilton in the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with the two exchanging the top two positions, while also clashing.
Hamilton also ran into the back of Verstappen’s car when the Red Bull Racing driver was yielding his position after being told by the stewards to do so. The two drivers blamed miscommunication for the incident, as Hamilton wasn’t informed that Verstappen would let him pass.
“I was just trying to let him by. I’m just going slower and slower, pulling the downshift. We had a… oh I don’t know, a miscommunication or whatever, and he ran into the back of me, and that was it,” said the Red Bull driver.
The stewards gave Verstappen a 10-second penalty for that incident after looking at data after the race. The stewards saw a 2.4g deceleration with the Dutchman’s car due to his sudden braking. But, with Verstappen’s huge lead over third-placed Valtteri Bottas, he retained his second position in the standings.
There’s been a war of words between Red Bull Racing and Mercedes after the race, with Mercedes boss calling Verstappen driving over the limit, which Hamilton agreed with as well.
Verstappen, meanwhile, felt that recent races have been more about penalties than actual racing on the track. Red Bull’s head of driver development Helmut Marko believes that the team is being unfairly treated and that the team doesn’t accept the decisions of the stewards in the race.
The final race of the 2021 F1 calendar will take place in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, with Verstappen and Hamilton locked on 369.5 points, with the former ahead due to having more wins. Mercedes has the Constructors’ Championship almost wrapped up as they now have a 28-point gap to Red Bull Racing.
