Verstappen Sprint Race penalty means Norris a point closer

This penalty reduces Verstappen’s championship lead over McLaren’s Lando Norris to 44 points. The Red Bull driver initially crossed the line in third after an intense 24-lap battle with Leclerc, before setting his sights on McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris ahead.

However, a late Virtual Safety Car (VSC) limited Verstappen’s opportunities to advance further. Once Nico Hulkenberg’s stalled Haas was removed, the track went green with less than a lap remaining, but Verstappen could not make a successful pass on Piastri, who had moved aside to support Norris’s title bid.

After the race, Verstappen’s compliance with VSC rules came under review, with the stewards investigating whether he stayed above the minimum required time during the VSC phase.

Following the examination of positioning and telemetry data, they found Verstappen 0.63 seconds below the minimum time when the VSC ended, concluding that this provided him with a sporting advantage.

In their decision, the F! stewards cited Article 56.5, stating: “All cars must also be above this minimum time when the FIA light panels change to green.” The ruling indicated that Verstappen, though attempting to adjust his speed, failed to meet the minimum time by the point of VSC end.

Explaining their penalty decision, the stewards noted, “This is a breach and the standard penalty is applied for the advantage gained at that time.” As a result, Verstappen dropped a place, losing a point to Norris. He was also issued a penalty point on his super licence, bringing his total to seven points over the past 12 months.

This additional point reduction tightens the title race as the 2024 F1 world championship nears its conclusion, with Norris now trailing Verstappen by 44 points.

"The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 1 (Max Verstappen), team representative and reviewed positioning/marshalling system data, timing, telemetry evidence.

“Article 56.5 states in part ‘All cars must also be above this minimum time when the FIA light panels change to green.’ The driver was 0.63 seconds below the minimum time at VSC End when the FIA light panels changed to green. This indicates a sporting advantage gained under VSC.

“The driver explained that as he was awaiting VSC to end and he got the notification that he was below the minimum time, he attempted to correct the error but failed to do so by the point that the panels turned green.

“This is a breach and the standard penalty is applied for the advantage gained at that time. The net effect of this put the driver ahead of where he was at the start of the VSC and not as a result of the car in front falling back.”