Why Verstappen received a ten-second penalty and can actually be relieved

21:54, 03 May 2025

Kada Sárközi joined GPblog as an editor ahead of the 2023 Formula 1 season. He graduated with a BA in Sports Journalism in the UK and has covered Grands Prix and other F1 events live.

Max Verstappen lost important points at Sprint of the Miami Grand Prix. After a mistake by the Red Bull pit crew, the Dutchman finished in P17. Here is the stewards explanation of why he was penalised.

The FIA document states the following: "Car 1 was released into the path of Car 12 which was arriving in the fast lane, causing a collision of the two cars. The Stewards acknowledge that the driver did everything he could to avoid the incident and therefore no penalty points are issued in this case."

What did Verstappen think of the pit lane incident?

The second part of the verdict is especially important for the Dutchman, as he already has eight penalty points to his name. 12 points would mean a race ban for Verstappen.

Verstappen himself was critical of his team after the Sprint. "I think it's pretty clear what happened. I can't make much more of it. The pit stop light goes off and I can't see if a car is coming. So yes, very sloppy," he told Viaplay.

Talking exclusively to GPblog, top advisor Helmut Marko agreed with Verstappen.

FIA Document of Verstappen's penalty

This article was written in collaboration with Tim Kraaij

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Pos.	Driver	Team	Points
1	Kimi Antonelli Kimi Antonelli	MercedesMER	171
2	George Russell George Russell	MercedesMER	131
3	Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton	FerrariFER	125
4	Oscar Piastri Oscar Piastri	McLarenMCL	80
5	Lando Norris Lando Norris	McLarenMCL	79
6	Charles Leclerc Charles Leclerc	FerrariFER	79
7	Max Verstappen Max Verstappen	Red Bull RacingRBR	73
8	Isack Hadjar Isack Hadjar	Red Bull RacingRBR	42
9	Pierre Gasly Pierre Gasly	AlpineALP	41
10	Liam Lawson Liam Lawson	Racing BullsRCB	30
11	Oliver Bearman Oliver Bearman	HaasHAA	18
12	Franco Colapinto Franco Colapinto	AlpineALP	16
13	Arvid Lindblad Arvid Lindblad	Racing BullsRCB	14
14	Carlos Sainz Carlos Sainz	WilliamsWIL	6
15	Alexander Albon Alexander Albon	WilliamsWIL	5
16	Esteban Ocon Esteban Ocon	HaasHAA	3
17	Gabriel Bortoleto Gabriel Bortoleto	AudiAUD	2
18	Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso	Aston MartinAST	1
19	Nico Hulkenberg Nico Hulkenberg	AudiAUD	0
20	Valtteri Bottas Valtteri Bottas	CadillacCAD	0
21	Sergio Perez Sergio Perez	CadillacCAD	0
22	Lance Stroll Lance Stroll	Aston MartinAST	0

Pos.

Driver

Team

Points

Kimi Antonelli

MER

171

George Russell

MER

131

Lewis Hamilton

FER