Stella explains Verstappen's penalty: 'He gained the rights'
Updated: 22:45, 20 Apr 2025
1 Comments
Savannah Lenz is a Formula 1 journalist at GPblog with a broad interest in motorsport. With experience in content creation and journalism, she delivers accessible and reliable coverage for a global F1 audience.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella agrees with the penalty that Max Verstappen recieved during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. According to Stella, Verstappen should have given the position back as McLaren has done in the past.
After being asked how McLaren would have handled it, Stella refers back to a previous situation.
He said, “The situation in corner one was very close in fairness, but you know this is a business of small margins. Thanks to a very good launch off the grid, and thanks to positioning the car on the inside slightly ahead of Max, Oscar managed to keep the car within the track limits and then he gained the rights. "
McLaren followed the rules
Stella then goes on to mention a race where they gave the position back to avoid receiving a penalty.
He continued, "Obviously, in that situation, you can't overtake off track. So I think the case is very clear. Like we did with Lando in Bahrain — you may remember that we realized we were overtaking Hamilton off the track and even if Hamilton drove us off the track, but once again it's Lewis Hamilton, he knows how to race — we just needed to instruct the driver to give the position back. So I think this is a clear case. "
ADVERTISEMENT
This article was written in collaboration with Marnik Kok.
Don’t miss GPblog in Google
Mark us as a preferred source and our articles will appear more often at the top of Top Stories.
Add as a preferred / source on GoogleRead more about:
latest news
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Overview
Thursday 24.09.26
Practice 1
08:30 AM
Practice 2
12:00 PM
Friday 25.09.26
Practice 3
08:30 AM
Qualification
12:00 PM
Saturday 26.09.26
Race
11:00 AM
Thursday 24.09.26
Practice 1
Thu 08:30 AM
Practice 2
Thu 12:00 PM
Friday 25.09.26
Practice 3
Fri 08:30 AM
Qualification
Fri 12:00 PM
Saturday 26.09.26
Race
Sat 11:00 AM
Times are in your local timezone
Popular on GPBlog
1
McLaren makes decision on Norris' participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans
2384 times read
2
Hamilton breaks silence on Ferrari staff shake-up rumors
1102 times read
3
Red Bull set to confirm Hadjar and Lawson 2027 decisions within days as Tsolov complicates the equation
867 times read
4
F1 Today | Hamilton takes to social media to react to Ferrari rumors
629 times read
F1-stand 2026
Season
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | MercedesMER | 292 | |
2 | MercedesMER | 211 | |
3 | FerrariFER | 191 | |
4 | McLarenMCL | 186 | |
5 | FerrariFER | 167 | |
6 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 145 | |
7 | McLarenMCL | 120 | |
8 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 71 | |
9 | Racing BullsRCB | 59 | |
10 | AlpineALP | 41 |
Loading
