Saudi Arabia – Sprint: Why was Richard Verschoor penalized at the finish?

Polesitter at the start of this sprint race, Richard Verschoor (MP Motorsport) certainly saw himself winning. Dominating from start to finish, the experienced driver Formula 2 was almost never worried, even when restarting the race three laps from the finish after the virtual safety car had been deployed.

Indeed, the defect often lies in the details. Although the race was conducted without incident in front of the two Campos drivers, Josep Maria Marti threatened the leader's handling as early as the fourth lap of the race. The Catalan got the better of his rival by overtaking him at the exit of Turn 2 after benefiting from the slipstream on the start/finish straight.

However, on the following lap, Richard Verschoor responded to his opponent. In a similar maneuver, the driver recovered his advantage by making the same overtake in the same spot. Positioned further outside when he finalized his move, Verschoor was ultimately judged guilty of pushing Marti to the outside, thus invalidating his overtake.

Although the rule was strictly enforced, the display showing race control's decision was revealed as the drivers were passing through the pits, four laps from the finish, under virtual safety car conditions. Surprisingly, this late decision suggested the matter was closed.

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