Amidst Threat of Receiving Grid Penalty After Underwhelming P11 Start, Max Verstappen Justifies His Alleged Impediment

Sabyasachi Biswas | 17/09/2023
Amidst Threat of Receiving Grid Penalty After Underwhelming P11 Start, Max Verstappen Justifies His Alleged Impediment

Max Verstappen had a disastrous performance on Saturday as the Red Bull driver crashed out of Q2 in qualifying ahead of the Singapore GP. On top of this, the Dutchman was at risk of receiving a grid penalty for impeding other drivers in Q1. However, Verstappen is of the opinion that he did nothing wrong, as per FormulaPassion.

From the very beginning of the weekend at the Marina Bay Circuit, the defending champion was struggling to find grip on the track. His performance on Saturday was also marred by the fact that there were several cars ahead of him during his outlap. In the end, he could only muster up a P11 position.

Verstappen needed to leave space in front of him before he could have his flying lap. Still, he found himself at the center of controversy. Citing this, he said that he did nothing wrong by stopping for a little longer at the pit lane, for which the FIA penalized him with a warning and a fine.

Max Verstappen admitted to being innocent but has pressing concerns

Following the conclusion of the qualifying session in Singapore, Verstappen was called by the stewards to explain the reason for his impediment. Before reaching out to them, the Dutchman said that he was innocent as the action was not deliberate.

Talking about this, he said, “I found myself with many cars in front of me. And so I wanted to stop and wait a bit to do a normal out-lap and not have to drive excessively slowly on the track. I will speak to the stewards, but honestly after the performances we had today a penalty means nothing .”

Nevertheless, the two-time world champion was not concerned about the penalty. He got a of a warning and his team a fine of $5337. This angered a lot of fans, who expected him to get a penalty, especially considering how Charles Leclerc and Esteban Ocon got penalties for similar issues earlier this season.

Red Bull’s own problem more concerning for Verstappen than a penalty

As Max Verstappen is at risk of having a grid penalty for impending other drivers in Q1, that doesn’t bother him. It is the undrivable condition of the RB-19 which is of supreme concern.

Red Bull surprisingly experimented with their car at Marina Bay Circuit. They ran a lower downforce setup in the qualification and this resulted in a lack of grip both for Perez and Verstappen.

Verstappen complained about the grip throughout the Free Practice sessions and the qualification as his RB-19 was drifting everywhere. All in all, this could be a key reason behind the end of Red Bull’s dominance on Sunday.

Post Edited By: Sabyasachi Biswas
Max Verstappen Sergio Perez

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Sabyasachi Biswas

Sabyasachi Biswas is an F1 journalist at The SportsRush. With over one and a half decades of love for the sport and five years of experience in the field, he dreams to be a regular at the paddock when the lights go out. A Red Bull fan and F1 fan in general over the years, he enjoyed watching Felipe Massa, Sebastian Vettel, and Max Verstappen dominate the track. Apart from F1, he's also a big-time Madridista and Federer fanatic. He was a sub-junior level footballer, won inter-district quizzes and debate competitions back in school. A travel freak throughout, he tries different cuisines and learns new cultures whenever he's away from the keyboard.

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