Christian Horner reveals real reason for Max Verstappen's 5-second penalty

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner commented on Max Verstappen's five-second penalty at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Horner clarified that the penalty was given to Verstappen because he ran off the track and gained an unfair advantage.

Horner appeared on the popular F1 Nation podcast after Sunday's chaotic Grand Prix, which saw Lewis Hamilton running into the back of Max Verstappen after the latter was told to give track position to the Briton.

Horner discussed the race and clarified the real reason Max was given the penalty by saying:

"I thought the five-second penalty was harsh. It was for running straight on at the restart. Lewis had a run on him and they both went wide, they both went deep and they both went off. It was deemed that Max had gained an advantage and was given the five-second penalty."

He then explained why Verstappen was asked to give the place back to Hamilton despite taking the penalty. He said:

"It is a very good question. That was I think for another incident like that and then we did tell him to give the place back and obviously he then backed off in the last sector. It was obvious Lewis didn't want Max to get the DRS so he backed off and it was a question of how slow did they go before the line. Then you see Lewis who runs Max Verstappen off the track in the last turn but that's okay. Here we are going into the last race and something I said to the boys at the garage, they can be massively proud that they have taken the fight to Mercedes, a team who has won everything in the last seven years and nobody has come anywhere close."

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Max Verstappen holds slight advantage over Lewis Hamilton heading into final race despite equal points

Lewis Hamilton equalized the playing field after successfully winning the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Despite the chaos that occurred during the event, the Briton managed to stay ahead of Max Verstappen at the checkered line, effectively erasing the points difference between them.

Going into the final race in Abu Dhabi, Max Verstappen holds a slight advantage this weekend as he has won more races than Hamilton this season. Verstappen's tally stands at nine wins, while Hamilton follows closely behind with eight.

In the case of a double-DNF for the two title contenders, Max Verstappen is automatically crowned world champion due to the one race lead he has over his rival.

Catch the action this weekend as the 2021 F1 season comes to a nail-biting finish at the revised Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.