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Red Bull Decides Against Appeal for Verstappen’s Penalty in Saudi Arabian GP

Red Bull Racing has officially announced that it will not pursue a right-of-review petition regarding Max Verstappen’s five-second penalty during the recent Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Formula 1.

At the start of the race, Verstappen, who started from pole position, was penalized for leaving the track and gaining an advantage while contending with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. This incident occurred as he continued to battle for position, ultimately leading to the penalty being imposed by the FIA race stewards.

Despite their belief that Verstappen had not unfairly gained an advantage because they felt they were forced off the track, Red Bull accepted the stewards’ decision. Verstappen served the penalty during his only pit stop, which contributed to a contentious atmosphere surrounding the ruling.

Following the race, team principal Christian Horner expressed strong frustrations over the decision. In an effort to support his argument, Horner presented printed onboard footage from Verstappen’s car, which he believed demonstrated that the Dutch driver was ahead at a critical moment.

Horner mentioned that the team would present further footage to the stewards that was not available at the time of the penalty’s imposition; however, he admitted that seeking a right of review would likely face significant challenges. Red Bull has now confirmed to Autosport that it will not take further action on this matter.

“We did talk to the stewards after the race, and they feel it was a clear-cut decision,” Horner stated. “If we were to challenge it, they would probably stand firm on their ruling. We intend to present the onboard footage that wasn’t previously accessible, but I think it’s rather unlikely anything will change.”

Formula 1 teams have a 96-hour window post-race to submit petitions for a review. McLaren recently exercised this option after the 2024 United States Grand Prix, when Lando Norris was penalized for a similar infringement while racing against Verstappen, which also resulted in their appeal being denied.

In their ruling, the stewards conveyed that during the overtaking maneuver, “car 81 [Piastri] had its front axle alongside the mirror of car 1 [Verstappen] at the apex of corner 1 when trying to overtake on the inside.” The stewards concluded that Piastri was entitled to racing room, noting that Verstappen left the track and subsequently gained an advantage that was not relinquished. While a standard penalty for such an infraction typically amounts to ten seconds, they decided to impose a reduced penalty of five seconds in consideration of the fact that this incident occurred during the first lap.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Oscar Piastri, McLaren

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www.autosport.com