Controversies are mounting, directly proportional to the increase in the intensity of the battle for the drivers’ championship between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. In the Sao Paulo Grand Prix Sprint race, the timing of a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was widely questioned. It provided Norris and McLaren a clear advantage in the closing stages of the race. NBA star Joel Embiid, who was intently watching the proceedings, raised concern immediately.
Verstappen closed down on the McLaren of Norris to get into third spot during the race. However, with Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg stopping on track, yellow flags came out.
For two whole laps, the drivers kept racing each other while keeping an eye out for the flags (which were on sector 2).
Norris swapped positions with leader Oscar Piastri, leaving Verstappen right behind the Aussie, who looked vulnerable. But then, Hulkenberg got out of his car and the VSC was deployed, which effectively ended Verstappen’s chances of making it to second place since only three laps were left.
“The FIA really hates Max lmao…They allowed McLaren to switch positions before they dropped the VSC,” Embiid wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Embiid suggested that the FIA gave enough time (two laps) to the McLaren cars to swap positions, and then brought out the VSC to stop any further action on the track. To make matters worse, it turned out that Verstappen had oversped during VSC conditions, which earned him a five-second time penalty.
The FIA really hates Max lmao.. they allowed McLaren to switch positions before they dropped the VSC #F1
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) November 2, 2024
Verstappen fans — and perhaps even the Philadelphia 76ers center — were furious with the stewards, as this marked the second consecutive week they had penalized him.
At the Mexico City GP last week, the stewards handed Verstappen two 10-second penalties. The first was for nudging Norris wide during an overtaking attempt, and the second was for gaining an advantage by exceeding track limits. With Verstappen showing no signs of altering his driving style, and things heating up in the championship tussle, further visits to the stewards may be inevitable this season.
