Guenther Steiner Lauds Max Verstappen for “Playing Cleverly” Against Mohammed Ben Sulayem in Jeddah

After a difficult weekend in Bahrain, where he could only finish P6, Max Verstappen and Red Bull made major improvements in Jeddah last weekend to grab the second-place trophy. Still, the Dutchman was far from happy.

Verstappen had bagged pole and was looking for a win, but a five-second penalty handed out by the stewards cost him that—something that frustrated him immensely.

Right alongside the four-time world champion at the start was Oscar Piastri, who got off the line quicker. He appeared to be ahead of Verstappen at the apex and squeezed him off the track. Verstappen went off to maintain his lead, which the stewards deemed as ‘leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage.’

Shortly afterward, when Verstappen was informed of the penalty, he expressed his displeasure over the team radio. Race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase quickly stepped in, reminding him not to make any comments—a simple cue to the 27-year-old to avoid saying something he might later regret. However, Verstappen’s reaction likely caught the attention of Ben Sulayem, who confronted the Red Bull driver as he got out of his car after the race.

A theory is circulating suggesting that Ben Sulayem’s finger-wagging at the 27-year-old was a warning to Verstappen, urging him not to say anything controversial or critical of the stewards.

I think Verstappen had a different opinion on the penalty, but could live with it. MBS ‘threatening’ him and him not being allowed to speak about the penalty itself is where he got angrier. pic.twitter.com/pbwFwxmWKc

— Lis (@rbrblis) April 21, 2025

This theory gained further credence when Verstappen refused to elaborate on the incident during the post-race interview, later stating that he’d rather avoid a fine from the FIA than speak his mind about the penalty.

Viaplay: It’s clear you don’t agree with the penalty, so I want to talk about it

Max: “No.”

Viaplay: But it was deciding-

Max: “No. It doesn’t matter. I don’t want to talk about it.”

Viaplay: But why not?

Max: “Because I don’t want to.” pic.twitter.com/9CLK5VuA2a

— Verstappen News (@verstappenews) April 20, 2025

On the Red Flags podcast, former Haas boss Guenther Steiner lauded the four-time world champion for the way he handled the entire situation.

“I think he played it very cleverly. He sent a message without offending anybody, you know, it was all done. If he was told not to disparage, so, ‘I say nothing’. I mean if you have nothing good to say, say nothing, you know, [and] he used that one to his advantage,” explained Steiner.

In a way, Verstappen killed two birds with one stone. His silence spoke volumes, signaling to fans that he disagreed with the penalty, while also making it clear that he felt the governing body was overreaching in their policing of driver behavior.

In fact, the FIA has introduced a brand-new guideline for stewards in 2025, imposing hefty fines, potential race bans, and championship points deductions for drivers across all its sanctioned championships.