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Red Bull Confirms No Appeal Against Verstappen’s Time Penalty

Red Bull Racing has officially announced that it will not pursue a right-of-review petition concerning the five-second time penalty imposed on Max Verstappen during the recent Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Verstappen, who secured pole position for the race, received the penalty after leaving the track during a contentious altercation with McLaren driver Oscar Piastri at the start. Despite their belief that they were forced off the track and ahead at the crucial point of the corner, the FIA stewards deemed that Verstappen had gained an unfair advantage, resulting in the penalty which he served during his only pit stop.

Following the race, tensions ran high as Verstappen and Red Bull expressed their frustration over the ruling. Team principal Christian Horner even presented evidence during the post-race media briefing, including onboard footage from Verstappen’s car aimed at demonstrating that he was ahead in the battle.

The team had initially indicated a willingness to provide additional footage to the stewards that was unavailable during the decision-making process. However, Horner later conveyed that pursuing a formal appeal was unlikely to yield a different outcome. Red Bull has since confirmed to Motorsport.com its decision to refrain from taking any further steps.

“We spoke to the stewards after the race, and they were very firm in their decision,” Horner explained on Sunday night. “While we plan to share the onboard footage that wasn’t considered at the time, we believe it’s improbable that they’ll change their ruling.”

F1 regulations allow teams a window of 96 hours post-race to submit such petitions, a right that McLaren exercised after Lando Norris received a penalty for a similar incident in the 2024 United States Grand Prix; their appeal was ultimately rejected.

The stewards justified their ruling, stating that “car 81 had its front axle at least alongside the mirror of car 1 prior to and at the apex of corner 1 when trying to overtake car 1 on the inside. In fact, car 81 was alongside car 1 at the apex. Based on the Driver’s Standards Guidelines, it was therefore Car 81’s corner, and he was entitled to be given room.” They continued, noting that Verstappen “left the track and gained a lasting advantage that was not given back” which led to the penalty being assessed. Although the baseline for such an infraction usually warrants a 10-second penalty, the stewards acknowledged the circumstances—being the first lap of the race—as a mitigating factor, resulting in a reduced five-second penalty.

Key Players Involved

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Source
www.motorsport.com