Fired FIA Race Director explains: This is why Verstappen was handed a penalty in Saudi Arabia!

Oscar Piastri got off to a better start at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, and was alongside Max Verstappen in Turn 1. The Red Bull driver decided to cut the corner, and was awarded a penalty.

Wittich, who was the race director from 2022 until he was let go the previous season, explained to Sky Sports DE why Verstappen was handed a five-second penalty.

“For me, it's absolutely clear that Max must give back the position. We have discussed this topic for a long, long time – years ago already – with all the teams and the drivers,” the German began.

According to him, it's “always been absolutely clear that if you leave the track and thus essentially gain an advantage – and he did, because he kept the position – then that position must be returned.”

After the Red Bull driver served his penalty in the pit lane during his one and only stop, he finished in second place behind Piastri. On the other hand, not everyone agreed with the stewards' decision. According to Helmut Marko, it was a strict call.