Max Verstappen was handed a grid penalty by FIA stewards for ignoring yellow flags during qualifying for the Russian Grand Prix, the grid drop coupled to his engine penalties means the Red Bull driver will start the race from last on the grid on Sunday, his birthday!
The stewards found that Verstappen did not reduce his speed enough when yellow flags waved after Sergey Sirotkin spun and landed 90 degrees across the Sochi Autodrome tarmac.
He was given a three-place grid drop and two penalty points which take his tally so far this season to seven, with 12 penalty points resulting in a one race ban for a driver.
FIA offence document #27 stated:
"The Stewards reviewed video and telemetry evidence, heard from the driver of car 33 (Max Verstappen) and the team representative."
"The driver admitted seeing the yellow flag and stated that he steered to the left to avoid the stationary car (number 35). However, the regulation is very clear and states ‘It must be evident that a driver has reduced speed’. The telemetry showed that the driver maintained full throttle and did not apply any braking."
"In his defence, the driver expressed the view that he felt he had acted safely."
"The Stewards noted that the driver understood the error in not slowing and acknowledged that in future he will comply with the regulations. However in view of the emphasis now placed on compliance with yellow flag regulations, in the interests of safety, the Stewards have applied the usual penalty for this offense."
Verstappen, who will start the race on Sunday from last place, said after qualy, "You never know what can happen and we won’t stop fighting, but from where I’m starting, I think the most realistic birthday present will be fifth."
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