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Max Verstappen has claimed that he was unfairly penalized for just “racing hard” at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, pointing out how he went unpunished for a similar incident at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The Red Bull Racing driver heads into this weekend’s season finale in Abu Dhabi after a messy and controversial race in Jeddah last weekend brought him level on points with Lewis Hamilton.
The race witnessed multiple incidents between the two contenders, with Verstappen being penalized twice for “leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage” and for “erratic driving”.
Speaking at the FIA press conference, Verstappen told Dutch journalist Erik van Haren:
“I think I race hard, and I shouldn't have been penalized for anything in Jeddah. Others do the exact same thing but don't even get a warning. Only I get a penalty somehow. That's not fair."
Verstappen looked set to take pole on Saturday with a sensational lap, only to ruin his chances after locking up and running wide into the barriers at the last corner. On Sunday, the lead of the race changed hands multiple times after Safety Car interruptions, as well as Virtual Safety Car and Red Flag periods.
On the final restart, Max Verstappen and Red Bull seemed to have nailed the strategy after the former quickly snatched the lead from Esteban Ocon. However, Mercedes' superior straight-line speed, combined with Verstappen’s medium compound tires losing performance, ultimately handed the win to Lewis Hamilton.
Max Verstappen could lose title hopes to penalties
The inconsistency of the stewards’ decisions throughout this year has been a major point of controversy. While Max Verstappen was handed a combined 15-second time penalty for his actions on track, Lewis Hamilton escaped punishment from the stewards after forcing his rival wide on the final corner while overtaking him.
Similarly, stewards refused to even investigate the Lap 48 incident between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton during the Brazilian Grand Prix. Onboard footage from Verstappen’s car later revealed that he could have easily avoided contact.
While drivers and teams such as Fernando Alonso and Haas have called for permanent F1 stewards to be present in every race, others such as McLaren’s F1 boss Andreas Seidl have argued that a permanent group of stewards could lead to perceived bias.
Heading into the final race, there is a high chance that the championship could end up being decided based on penalties rather than on-track action.
