Verstappen, a penalty that disturbs the paddock

The day after Lewis Hamilton's victory (Mercedes) at the United States Grand Prix, the event that continues to get the world of racing talking Formula 1 is not the Constructors title acquired by the German firm but the penalty imposed on Max Verstappen (Red Bull) for this overtaking on Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari) in the last round:

Ranked third on paper in Austin (Texas), the Dutchman was knocked off the podium after the application of a five-second penalty. The reason: the RB13 put all four wheels outside the limit of the track. This decision was hardly appreciated by the protagonist. "They (the commissioners) could have at least asked my opinion, and listened to my point of view”, growls Max Verstappen. “Why was I penalized? I went off-road, on a circuit which has no limits anyway and where everyone has been going off the track since Friday, why am I being punished like this? »

Max Verstappen laments but cannot change the result. “The crowd loves attacks and you make those kinds of decisions live… You can't argue, it's written in the rules. They (the FIA) know how to write the rules. For now, it’s in their favor”, he insinuates. “This is not a signal sent to the public. You will take 10 centimeters inside the curb, everyone goes off the track, no one complains, like in qualifying at turn 19 where we could go outside the curb. And today (Sunday), they killed the race. »

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner also tried to contain his anger. “Max completed a thrilling race, complete with spectacular maneuvers. This penalty is truly infuriating compared to the number of cars that left the track, not just during the race but over the entire weekend, without suffering the slightest sanction. »

Interviewed by the Sky Sports F1 television channel, Lewis Hamilton delivered a cold analysis. “He’s off the track, that’s very clear. But the problem with the layouts today is why is there no grass on the edges? There are always large clearance areas. With grass, he wouldn't have passed by that place. » The leader of the Drivers' championship is in favor of a return to grassy or gravel shoulders. “I like the idea of ​​giving up time by going off the track, for example releasing the accelerator, driving on a bad surface like gravel. »