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

21:54, 03 May

byKada Sarkozi

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.