Verstappen had a ‘joker’ warning for cutting the chicane

2018 Italian Grand Prix

7th September 2018, 7:409th February 2024, 17:03 | Written by Dieter Rencken and Keith Collantine

Max Verstappen was given a one-off warning for cutting the chicane during the Italian Grand Prix while trying to keep Valtteri Bottas behind him.

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FIA race director Charlie Whiting confirmed the Red Bull driver was warned for cutting turn two when Bottas closed on him in the first stint of the race.

Bottas told his Mercedes team on the radio: “I think he gained a small advantage.” His race engineer replied: “Yeah copy he left the track and gained an advantage.”

According to Whiting teams were advised their drivers would get a single warning if they cut the track in that way and a penalty if they did so repeatedly.

“The ‘joker’ is cutting the chicane, not actually gaining a place, but staying in front by virtue of cutting the chicane, which is an advantage of sorts,” Whiting told media including RaceFans.

“We told the teams we would give them one ‘free’ one. Unless of course he cut the chicane the first time and gained five seconds and kept it, then we wouldn’t let him have that.

“But this one he just stayed in front of Bottas and he could, in theory, do that every lap. He wouldn’t gain a position but stay in front.”

After Verstappen cut the corner Red Bull told him: “He was nowhere near a pass then Max, didn’t need to worry.”

Whiting added he wasn’t bothered about Verstappen’s outburst on the radio claiming the stewards were “killing racing” by giving him a penalty for a separate incident with Bottas at the same corner later in the race.

“I don’t think you can take too much from comments made in the heat of battle,” he said.

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52 comments on “Verstappen had a ‘joker’ warning for cutting the chicane”

MacLeod (@macleod)
7th September 2018, 7:44

Max thought Bottas would crash into him if he turned in when he saw him locking up. He is driving with his mind en head straight on.
1. MacLeod (@macleod)
  7th September 2018, 7:45
  
  But as Horner said Bottas was really far behind but those mirrors could be the problem here.
  1. socksolid (@socksolid)
    7th September 2018, 7:54
    
    Verstappen knew exactly where bottas was.
    1. CarWars (@maxv)
      7th September 2018, 8:41
      
      Unlike Bottas, who normally bounces his way past or punts people.
      1. Seann (@canuckfan)
        7th September 2018, 15:29
        
        @maxv I think you spelled Verstappen incorrectly.
      2. mystic one (@mysticus)
        8th September 2018, 14:46
        
        @canuckfan
        
        phew, i thought for a sec he meant someone other than Verstappen too :) maybe his autocorrect is tired of correcting for Verstappen’s mistakes
  2. Jere (@jerejj)
    7th September 2018, 10:23
    
    @macleod Gianpiero Lambiase (his race engineer) to be precise or did Horner also say the same on a separate occasion afterwards?
2. Diesel
  7th September 2018, 7:52
  
  Where is this going to? I mean…unbelievable….to many rules, Bottas who thinks Verstappen got a small advantage….dude you weren’t even close of overtaking Verstappen…Whiting happy to listen to all the complainers. What’s happend to real racing? What’s happend to real men?
  1. Chaitanya
    7th September 2018, 10:59
    
    With likes of crashtappen, petulant child and other domesticated felines joining F1 racing through Red bull ranks(exception of Ricciardo) died off. That attitude of not accepting fault and cursing stewards and then costing team points from potential 4th place these drivers are a liability for team.
    1. erikje
      7th September 2018, 11:05
      
      At least try to sound like an adult.
      Giving childish names does not support your claims.
      1. Chaitanya
        7th September 2018, 12:56
        
        So its ok to weave on straight(seen before this year from overglorified Verstappen in Baku) and purposefully destroy other drivers race and when stewards penalise this rash behaviour name calling stewards. It seems like a pattern amongst drivers coming through Red bull ranks that they dont accept their fault and bully stewards and other drivers instead of fair racing. Again as with anything there are exceptions and in case of drivers coming through RBR ranks Ricciardo is very intelligent and fair racer.
      2. F1ed (@rinodina)
        7th September 2018, 14:35
        
        @Chaitanya Try to understand what you read. erikje didn’t contradict your “opinion”, he just said something about your childish misspelling of Verstappens name. Your “opinion” itself is not worth contradicting.
  2. rob
    7th September 2018, 11:19
    
    Real racein is what’s needed , none of this he when on the grass. Nobody cares. Watch F1 from years goin all over was the nom.
  3. Lee1
    7th September 2018, 12:09
    
    I think it was very fair. Verstappen gained a huge advantage (if it had been Monaco he would have a very broken car trying to do that). However he was let off with a warning. I think that was fair and he needs to be more careful from that point on. Remember a few years ago Hamilton was given a 25 second penalty for simply leaving the track while gaining an advantage! So I think a warning is light when considering that!
    1. Lee1
      7th September 2018, 12:10
      
      Edit…. ” while NOT gaining an advantage” lol… Silly fingers…
      1. mystic one (@mysticus)
        8th September 2018, 14:51
        
        if Verstappen drove in 2008 spa, he would have more than swear words for stewards… not only he gained advantage he kept his place…. hamilton gave the place back and the guy crashed out soon after on his own anyway, ham was given 25 sec penalty for being a gent :) i guess verstappen learns that being gent in this game gives u more penalty, when u swear and crash u get off with a slap on the wrist…
JohnH (@johnrkh)
7th September 2018, 7:46

Well if all teams/drivers got the same message that’s fair enough, but it must be policed more strictly for everyone in the future. These are supposed to be the best drivers in the world, so if they can’t stay within the bounds of the track to compete they should be penalized.
1. Silfen (@silfen)
  7th September 2018, 8:51
  
  It was not a matter of can or cannot. It was deliberate to prevent himself from being hit by Bottas who locked up.
  1. gDog
    7th September 2018, 9:33
    
    In the photo above it looks like there’s plenty of space on the track next to Bottas.
  2. JohnH (@johnrkh)
    7th September 2018, 10:28
    
    @silfen
    Well that’s what you say while others say Bottas was not even close. I certainly did see the incident and although I think Verstappen did not need to leave the track maybe he was being careful….maybe.
    This is the second time I can think of that Verstappen has done this using the same excuse (US GP 2017). But I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt, I am not laying blame. As some other drivers are guilty of cutting corners sometimes as well.
    But As I said above and before on this forum and others. The track limits are very clear and these drivers are supposed to be the best, they need to keep on the black stuff. I think it’s past time to impose a time penalty for repeat offenders.
  3. russell finch
    7th September 2018, 13:45
    
    Dont think this was evasive action by MV – he tried to make the corner but locked up and outbraked himself. Go to 2 minutes in:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9d1ppvK9npY
    
    Shortcutting a corner is just cheating – it’s not Mario Kart, can’t believe stewards let him off. He should have been made to zig-zag through the escape road like Bottas did later on, or spin his car around and rejoin the track before the left hander that he skipped. This idea that people skipping corners don’t gain an advantage is nonsense – if you lose control and go off you should suffer in some way, not be allowed to carry on regardless.
    1. mystic one (@mysticus)
      8th September 2018, 14:54
      
      because he was overtaking a mercedes and not a ferrari… if he did that to either rai or (god forbid) vet, all hell would get loose! imagine bumper car racing between vet n ves? both sometimes leave their brains at the pit lanes…
Matteo (@m-bagattini)
7th September 2018, 8:20

I don’t particularly like Max, especially when he compromises (compromised?) someone else’s race. But he did an amazing job in Monza, with a car that was over one second slower in quali. He crossed the line third and to me that was the position he deserved.
1. Paul D
  7th September 2018, 8:26
  
  I disagree with that. He drove extremely well, but if the only way he could keep Bottas behind was to drive him off the circuit – in contravention of the known rules of engagement – then he did not deserve third place. If he was not smart enough to realise that – having lost third already due to the penalty – he needed to let Bottas go to stay ahead of Vettel then he didn’t deserve fourth either. I don’t imagine Red Bull were thrilled that he ‘didn’t care’.
  1. Oconomo
    7th September 2018, 8:37
    
    Red Bull’s marketing department is still having a party, following MV’s refusal to give up third and loose fourth. 2 points that have no influence whatsoever on the price money allocated to the racing team at the end of the season, given the fact that they are third and will stay third, no matter what. (He actually saved them $100.000,- in bonus payments.)
    it’s almost a week now, and still mentioned on every frikking F1 website all over the world. Talk about publicity.
    And imagine how happy RBR will be when Seb wins the title with a 2 points lead over Lewis……..
  2. Mike
    7th September 2018, 10:36
    
    Max and RB explained this. If he let Bottas through he would have been 5th anyway as he would lose 1-2 seconds on that lap and Vettel was generally lapping faster.
    1. max
      9th September 2018, 5:59
      
      Which is why he told his team he didn’t care he was doing the wrong thing? Some people will believe anything.
2. Esploratore (@esploratore)
  7th September 2018, 8:37
  
  In general red bull is a good race car, it was absolutely terrible in qualifying here, mostly due to the engine ofc, to the tune of being unable to beat ferrari q1 times in q3 or something like it!
  
  But in the race verstappen was only 18 sec behind, which is an average of like 0,33 sec per lap, a fairly competitive car, ofc had vettel been there it’d have likely been further off, but also verstappen could’ve been closer had he avoided the 5 sec penalty.
  1. Sebastian
    7th September 2018, 11:55
    
    13 sec behind, not 18 sec
Silfen (@silfen)
7th September 2018, 8:50

Verstappen just cut the chicane to prevent being hit by Bottas who locked up. I didn’t see him getting any advantage in that action, because Bottas was nowhere near enough to try an overtake.
1. Rubens Cheriballo
  7th September 2018, 9:27
  
  If Bottas was nowhere near how could he possibly hit Verstappen?
  1. Joao (@johnmilk)
    7th September 2018, 10:12
    
    he wasn’t near enough to overtake, to hit him is a different story
2. Aleš Norský (@gpfacts)
  7th September 2018, 13:08
  
  Going off the track should never be faster than respecting track limits…period. I don’t care for any explanations about avoiding actions or not gaining measurable advantage.
3. Rhys Lloyd (@justrhysism)
  9th September 2018, 0:14
  
  Yeah I agree, I think Max checked his mirrors and saw Bottas coming in hot, and decided to avoid an accident. By the time he navigated around the speed bumps and rejoined the track he didn’t gain any time.
  
  But what I don’t get is, after the “joker” warning – say Bottas has another attempt in Ricciardo dive-bomb fashion, and locks up which Max notices in his mirrors; is Max then to just grit his teeth and hope to not collide? Or does he avoid the collision thinking of the bigger picture, cutting the corner, and taking a 5 second penalty? Effectively being penalised for avoiding a collision. Sure if Bottas actually caused a collision he’d be penalised – but if collision doesn’t occur, there’s no penalty.
  
  You don’t want to prevent racing – but if a collision is being avoided, allowing both drivers to continue racing and neither gain an advantage, let them continue to race.
frood19 (@frood19)
7th September 2018, 9:59

is this really worth an article? it was pointed out in commentary during the race and they broadcast the race radio when his team told him he couldn’t do it again. it’s hardly news 5 days later.
1. Martijn (@)
  7th September 2018, 10:43
  
  Any article on Verstappen generates lots of comment and attention… lots hate him, others defensing him, a dream for this website
2. Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
  7th September 2018, 12:35
  
  @frood19 Fair question. I thought Whiting’s explanation added new information which was worth sharing. In retrospect perhaps the headline doesn’t pitch this one as well as it could.
  1. frood19 (@frood19)
    7th September 2018, 13:42
    
    @keithcollantine that’s true but maybe it could have gone into the round-up. I pretty much read every article you publish anyway so i don’t know what i’m complaining about really!
Hakk the Rack
7th September 2018, 10:33

Hulkenberg in a Williams did same thing almost every final laps during his defense from wild Coulthard’s Red Bull.
1. Chris (@chrisgalaz)
  7th September 2018, 11:45
  
  you mean webber obviously!
Mike
7th September 2018, 10:37

Max and RB explained this. If he let Bottas through he would have been 5th anyway as he would lose 1-2 seconds on that lap and Vettel was generally lapping faster.
Johan Tolemans
7th September 2018, 11:37

I saw a race with some cool moves by Raikkonen and Hamilton. I also saw Verstappen not even following the simple rule of keeping the car on the track. Yet he is upheld as the Future of Racing. Why?
1. Aleš Norský (@gpfacts)
  7th September 2018, 13:06
  
  Exactly, you never see Kimi do any dirty racing…
  1. Johnvl
    7th September 2018, 15:56
    
    You never see him winning races either.
    1. Johan Tolemans
      7th September 2018, 20:31
      
      No, never. Except for 20 times. And 100 podiums. And world championship. But apart from that, never.
      1. Johnvl
        8th September 2018, 23:30
        
        You had to google that right?
        You saw him winning races. That is past tense. (believe me: 2013 is in the past)
        I don’t think you will see him winning ever again.
2. Johnvl
  7th September 2018, 15:58
  
  Vettel held the car on the track……..facing the wrong way.
franco
7th September 2018, 22:31

Sorry. I don’t get it. Verstappen cut a chicane, witch all drivers are allowed to, one time. And on a saterday night that somehow becomes a headline?
1. JohnH (@johnrkh)
  7th September 2018, 23:43
  
  No driver is allowed to cut the corners at all during a race, but the rule has not been enforced. Giving some drivers and fans the idea it’s OK, well it’s not. It’s cheating to hold position against a faster driver, or they get impatient with a slower driver and pass illegally.
Otto
8th September 2018, 7:00

I think an automatic penalty should be issues to who ever goes with all 4 wheels outside the track .The way it’s been handled in recent years you end up with a far too debatable situation:
-you gained an advantage.
-no i didn’t.
I think this should be avoided and rules should be clear black and white not greysh and debatable .
1. JMDan (@danmar)
  8th September 2018, 8:53
  
  Maybe racing tracks should not be designed in such a way that drivers need to go off of them. What’s the point of designing tight corners if they spend the race cutting them?
JMDan (@danmar)
8th September 2018, 8:50

I’m getting a bit annoyed with all the whining 5-year old on the grid. Not so long ago some of these “men” would have gone home crying.

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52 comments on “Verstappen had a ‘joker’ warning for cutting the chicane”