Verstappen escapes punishment for alleged impeding as Alpha Tauri chose not to attend

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has escaped from any possible punishment for alleged impeding as Alpha Tauri’s representatives chose not to attend the Stewards meeting. 

Verstappen has struggled throughout the entire weekend with the set-up of his ever-dominant RB19 and was knocked out of qualifying, in Q2, for the Singapore Grand Prix. 

The Dutch world champion qualified 11th, two places ahead of his fellow teammate Sergio Perez who qualified 13th. However, the Dutchman had three separate incidents of alleged impeeding which hung over him and threatened to demote him down the order. 

However, after the stewards hearing, it Verstappen has been slapped with two consecutive reprimands for impeding in the pit lane and Alpha Tauri’s Yuki Tsunoda. Whilst he had avoided punishment for allegedly impeding Williams’ Logan Sargeant. 

When Verstappen was brought to the hearing to discuss his impeding of Tsunoda, the team admitted there was poor communication on their part and failed to advise the Dutchman until the Japanese driver was alongside. 

As a result, Verstappen was given a reprimand for the incident and Red Bull were fined €5,000. It was also noted that the Alpha Tauri representative chose not to attend the hearing. The Stewards said:

“The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 1 (Max Verstappen), team representative and reviewed positioning/marshalling system data, video, team radio and in-car video evidence. 

“Just prior to Car 22 (Yuki Tsuonda) passing Car 1, the driver of Car 1 saw the car behind approaching and moved to the left, however quite late. The team admitted that there was poor communication on its part and that it did not advise its driver until Car 22 was alongside.

“The Stewards reviewed a number of impeding and alleged impeding incident from this current season and consistent with previous decisions in relation to the severity of the breach, impose a penalty of a Reprimand on the driver and a fine on the Competitor. 

“It was noted that the representative of Car 22 chose not to attend the Hearing.”  

Verstappen also slapped with another reprimand as he held station at the pit exit for an ‘extraordinary long time’ whilst other drivers such as the two Mercedes of George Russell and Sir Lewis Hamilton remained stuck behind the stationary #1 RB19. 

As for the third incident, the Dutch driver was surrounded by other cars on their preparation lap of which some opted to overtake Red Bull’s leading man. Verstappen stated that driving straight and ‘keep the line,’ leaving a car’s width was the safest option for him. 

The Stewards agreed with his statements and opted not to impose a punishment. 

As a result of the following meetings, Verstappen is set to retain his 11th place grid slot ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix.

That’s all for the article: Verstappen escapes punishment for alleged impeeding as Alpha Tauri chose not to attend!

Read more Formula 1 here:

• Sainz on pole for Singapore GP as both Red Bull’s exit after Q2
• Sainz completes practice clean sweep for Ferrari in Singapore GP FP3
• Ferrari clean sweep Friday with Sainz quickest in FP2
• Leclerc leads in Singapore as Lizards litter FP1
• FIA issue ‘certificates of compliance’ to all 10 teams
• Carlos Sainz victim of robbery outside hotel after Italian GP podium

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Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.