Max Verstappen is in danger of receiving a grid penalty for the Singapore Grand Prix as the stewards are investigating him over three separate incidents.
But even if he is cleared on all counts, Verstappen will start the race no higher than 11th after being eliminated in the second round of qualifying.He is one of several drivers facing investigations after the first round of qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix, including Logan Sargeant and potentially others.
The Red Bull driver was first noted for holding up several of his rivals at the pit lane exit during Q1. After several drivers left the pits in front of Verstappen, he stopped his car by the green pit exit light for around 15 seconds.
Verstappen waited at the pit exit so long his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase came on the radio and asked him “everything okay, Max?”
Behind him George Russell pointed out he had stopped in the pit lane. “Does he have a problem?” he asked. Charles Leclerc behind him added: “You cannot stop like this, come on.” Verstappen eventually joined the track followed by Russell and the other drivers waiting to begin their final runs.
A further investigation has been announced over an incident involving Verstappen and several other drivers in the final minutes of Q1. The stewards are considering whether Verstappen impeded Sargeant at that time.
The Ferrari, McLaren and Aston Martin drivers plus Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen were all congregated at the exit of the final chicane waiting to start their final flying laps as other drivers passed by completing their last flying laps. Verstappen dodged to the left to make room for Sargeant as the Williams driver passed close by.
The stewards also noted a further occasion later in the session where Verstappen appeared to hold up a rival. Yuki Tsunoda complained the Red Bull driver got in his way during Q2. This incident is being investigated as well.
The stewards are also examining Sargeant’s driving as he appeared to hold up Lance Stroll earlier in Q1.
Update: Verstappen avoids grid penalty as AlphaTauri stay away from Tsunoda hearing
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Dan G (@dang)
16th September 2023, 15:15
I’m surprised a driver as good as Max couldn’t manage better than 11th in Q2.
Eloney
16th September 2023, 15:20
Not driver fault but RB car set up might not suitable for Singapore track this time.
asd
16th September 2023, 15:43
Yeah right, the best F1 engineers couldn’t set up the car right….
Domo
16th September 2023, 15:48
No flex wing rule have anything to do ?
Moshambles (@moshambles)
16th September 2023, 15:55
Horner says no, it’s nothing to do with that. Car is identical to Monza and Zandvoort. Probably track specific but more to figure out obviously
PlosslF1
16th September 2023, 15:56
“Horner says no”… So its a yes then?
faulty (@faulty)
16th September 2023, 16:01
Horner also said that Marko didn’t have an employee relationship with RBR, only with RB drinks. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
David West
16th September 2023, 18:05
Horner was also confident they hadn’t broken the cost cap, he lies.
Eloney
17th September 2023, 10:23
Sometimes not everything goes perfect all the time by any best engineer in the world. Everybody make mistake, and its happened.
Jere (@jerejj)
16th September 2023, 15:31
2x 3-place drops.
Jere (@jerejj)
16th September 2023, 15:39
3x
Nick T.
16th September 2023, 17:13
There were actually three incidents, but I think he’s only being investigated for two. This means he’s certain to get one penalty. Even if he deserves two, I don’t see it happening. If he gets no penalty, it means we have big issues.
Nick T.
16th September 2023, 17:19
Well, no further action. I hear they’re giving Yuki a penalty though for getting in Max’s turbulence and aborting his final run to give Max a better chance to survive Q2 and it not working. They wanted him to take out Lawson too.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
16th September 2023, 22:44
We have big issues indeed, I wasn’t sure he’d get penalised for tsunoda thing, because of the impeded team.
Edvaldo
16th September 2023, 15:32
No further action.
Whitedog
16th September 2023, 16:05
New rule nothing to do with red bull issues so it is then hornet is a compulsive liar….let’s all hope this the end of the redbullshit….dominance and puts the spoilt brat back where he belongs.
Nick T.
16th September 2023, 17:16
Three incidents with two enough to merit investigation and no penalty? Yuki would have been handed a nine-place drop and all of Pierre’s points.
Sviat
16th September 2023, 15:34
No further action. It’s Verstappen, hence no penalties.
David BR (@david-br)
16th September 2023, 19:49
You were right. It’s pretty outrageous that you can park the car at the end of the pit lane, preventing other drivers from getting on track, just so you can get a nice gap. Stay in the garage then!
David BR (@david-br)
16th September 2023, 15:36
So some real pressure for the first time in over a year and things start unravelling quickly. Verstappen and Red Bull will bounce back, maybe even in the race, but it just shows what we’ve been missing with the lack of any real challenge until now. Pressure gets everyone and nobody is perfect.
Edvaldo
16th September 2023, 15:48
Tell that to that armchair dude lol. The guy must have a Verstappen shrine in his house. “A driver that would put Schumacher and Senna to shame had he raced in their days.”
Patrick (@paeschli)
16th September 2023, 15:49
Yeah, Schumacher and Senna never has a bad weekend in their career
Edvaldo
16th September 2023, 15:52
Everybody have bad weekends my friend. They’re just humans.
Nick T.
16th September 2023, 17:24
I remember this guy named Romain Grosjean. His consistency and cool temperament are legend. Boy went his entire career without a single bad race let alone a crash. He was even able to use his car a bowling ball sometimes.
Nick T.
16th September 2023, 17:26
as a*
Just like Romain, I’m incapable of errors.
Joao Macedo
16th September 2023, 15:52
“Pressure gets everyone”. For a moment I thought you were talking about Hamilton, who is nearly 0.4 sec behind Russell.
David BR (@david-br)
16th September 2023, 16:28
Hamilton’s underperforming, true, but it’s not sudden pressure like the Red Bull team are experiencing. What point are you trying to make?
melanos
16th September 2023, 15:41
Yuki, how dare you!?!?
(Say that with the angry face of GT)
AB
16th September 2023, 15:48
Someone better put in a call to Uncle Masi.
Moshambles (@moshambles)
16th September 2023, 15:57
Some pretty ridiculous comments here… par for the course though
Fritz
16th September 2023, 16:42
Live like a lion, die like a lion.
Exchange lion for petulant, petty, pottymouth manchild.
osnola
16th September 2023, 16:42
My god, some frustrated people here.
Good to know they really hate the season so far ;)
mark toghill (@mt2201)
16th September 2023, 18:48
so according to reports Alpha Tauri were not invited to the hearing so had it not been a redbull impeding Yuki a pentaly wuld have been given but Max hasnt
Tiaki Porangi
17th September 2023, 10:26
The outcome of this has been quite shocking, even for the nowadays-cynical F1 fan that I have turned into since 2021. I can see how the pit lane impeding was not a penalty, as I don’t think it’s covered by any existing rules (I stand to be corrected, @keithcollantine). Same to the Sargeant one, I can see how that could just be a reprimand or a warning and that’s it.
But the Tsunoda one is something else altogether – ironically, Tsunoda himself received a grid penalty at the Dutch GP last month for blocking Lewis Hamilton much the same way as Max did!
Really bizarre ruling by the stewards on that one, and a ruling that rightly leaves a sour taste in the mouth for fans who already feel – rightly or wrongly – that RB and Max seem to get away with mere slaps on the wrist for transgressions that other drivers receive real penalties for.