Red Bull driver Max Verstappen will start the Qatar Grand Prix from seventh, after receiving a five-place grid penalty for an infringement during qualifying.
Key points:
- Max Verstappen did not slow down during a section of track which had double-yellow flags waiving
- The Red Bull driver will start seventh, with championship rival Lewis Hamilton on pole
- Verstappen leads the driver’s championship by 14 points
The driver’s championship leader did not slow down through a section near the finish line during his final flying lap on Saturday, which had double-yellow flags waiving.
Drivers are required to slow down through sections of the track where double-yellow flags are waiving because of an incident.
AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly had pulled over to the side of the race track near the finish line after a tyre puncture.
Verstappen had qualified second for Sunday’s race behind championship rival Lewis Hamilton.
Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas was also handed a three-place grid penalty for the same infringement.
Ironically, the penalties have promoted Gasly to the front-row alongside Hamilton.
The stewards said they had “sympathy” for Verstappen, whose team argued it was not clear if drivers were required to slow down because the FIA had turned off the yellow-flag signal before the Red Bull driver had made it to the final section.
“Notwithstanding the fact the team argued that the turning off of the yellow sector on the FIA marshalling system some 34 seconds prior to the driver reaching the yellow flag, signified that it was ‘play on’, it was the driver’s responsibility to take the appropriate action when entering what was a double yellow flag area,” the steward’s statement said.
“The driver acknowledged his awareness of the presence of Car 10 on the right side of the track. Having seen a disabled car, it is reasonable to expect, as was the case of the driver of Car 55 (Carlos Sainz), that there was a potential danger and that a yellow flag situation probably existed and therefore to take the appropriate action (i.e. to reduce speed).”
It is a decision that was not taken well by Red Bull boss Christian Horner, who told Sky Sports UK he believes the flags were being waved incorrectly.
“I think it’s just a rouge marshal that’s stuck a flag out, and he’s not been instructed to by the FIA.
“They’ve got to have control of their marshals, it’s as simple as that because that’s a crucial blow in the world championship for us.
“We’re really struggling to understand it because it looks just a complete balls-up from the FIA.”
Verstappen leads the championship by 14 points.
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