Verstappen admits: 'Penalty for Leclerc incident is the right decision'

Max Verstappen recorded a hard-fought victory in the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which was as spectacular as the gambling city itself. He immediately grabbed the lead at the start, but was penalised for his move on Charles Leclerc at the first corner. In hindsight, the Dutchman thinks the stewards made the right decision.

Verstappen on Leclerc incident

"Well, the start was good, but then we both braked quite late to defend the position but that was a bit on the inside on the dirt, I guess. As soon as you're a bit offline here, it's a super low grip and that's what happened," Verstappen explained.

He continued: "I braked and there was no grip. I didn't mean to push Charles off the track, but I couldn't slow down. It was just I kept sliding on four wheels wide so that's why we had to go wide."

Initially, Verstappen was not happy with the penalty he received from the FIA, but in hindsight he sees it differently. "At the time, you're also full of adrenaline and I was not happy with the decision but looking back at it, it was probably the right call and with that five seconds, it was definitely a bit harder to come back to the front," the Red Bull Racing driver looked back.