The race stewards reprimand Max Verstappen and three other drivers after the Formula 1 race in Baku: They overtook in VSC conditions
Max Verstappen does not have to fear a penalty after the Formula 1 race in Baku and can keep his fifth place from Azerbaijan. Following the Grand Prix, the stewards initiated an investigation into the world champion. The accusation: infringement under the virtual safety car
Verstappen had overtaken several cars after crossing the finish line, even though the virtual safety car had been declared due to the accident between Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz. The same accusations were made against Nico Hülkenberg (Haas) and the two Alpine drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon.
“I did everything right,” said the Dutchman when confronted with the accusations. “I crossed the line, everything was fine, chequered flag.”
“I had a look at it,” says Red Bull team boss Christian Horner. “He congratulated the two drivers in front of him and waved to them as they drove into the pit lane. He was driving incredibly slowly.”
He refers to other similar incidents where nothing came of it in the end. “So I would be surprised if there was a problem. It wasn’t as if he was driving at full throttle, as they drove into the pit lane.”
This is exactly what Verstappen himself says: “People are always overtaking each other and waving and saying ‘well done’ and things like that” – even with VSC or the real safety car. “That’s why I did it,” he explains, emphasizing that he was surprised by the investigation.
Commissioners: Overtaking was prohibited
The stewards explain that although overtaking after the end of the race is not unusual, it is still prohibited in the event of a yellow phase, a safety car or a virtual safety car.
Sparks fly on the streets of Baku!
This moment between Sainz and Perez effectively ended the race, and cost both the chance of a podium!F1 AzerbaijanGP pic.twitter.com/iR6UTynvpv
– Formula 1 (@F1) September 15, 2024
Because: “While the drivers knew where the incident occurred, they could not know whether emergency equipment or marshals had been sent to the track and must therefore proceed with caution.”
“The stewards are aware that this has already happened once this season and was not noticed at the time,” they added. For this reason, Verstappen was officially warned – as were the three other drivers involved. Postscript: “Further infringements may result in significant penalties. ”
Verstappen: Why not a safety car?
This is only the smaller form (“Warning”), by the way, which has no sporting consequences – in contrast to the larger “Reprimand”, where you would receive a penalty if you have collected five within a season.
The incident therefore has no impact on the race result, but Verstappen wonders why race control only called the virtual version of the safety car in the first place. According to him, the real safety car should have been called straight away.
“I don’t understand it. There are two cars completely in the wall. I don’t understand why it’s taking so long. And why double yellow? Just bring out the safety car,” said the Dutchman. “The track is completely full of dirt and debris. So why the virtual safety car? “