Toto Wolff Does Not Object As Max Verstappen Dodges Hefty Penalty For Faulty Race Start

Max Verstappen claimed his 37th race win in Melbourne’s Albert Park. The Dutchman managed to steer his Red Bull clear from the carnage in an incident-filled 2023 Australian GP.

However, the validity of the 2x champions’ victory came into question when pictures surfaced of his position during the standing start at lap 56. The Dutchman’s RB19 can be clearly seen ahead of the marked grid box.

 

Questions were raised if Verstappen will be fined post-race for an illegal restart. However, the race winner gets to keep his win after the stewards deemed he was clear of any infringements.

Why was Max Verstappen not penalized for an illegal restart?

Verstappen can be seen encroaching on his allocated starting position for the standing start. But the move was termed legal by the stewards after looking into the matter.

According to Article 48.1 of FIA’s Sporting Regulations, “a driver may be penalized for an incorrect starting position if they move before the start of the race. If the driver positioned his car on the starting grid in such a way that the transponder is unable to detect the moment at which the car first moved.”

Or “if the contact patch of the front tires is in front of its grid position before the start signal is given.” However, Verstappen’s tires were clearly making contact with the grid box’s lines.

It is only his front wing that can be seen inching closer to the finish line. Hence the driver was allowed to keep his hard-fought win.

Toto Wolff claims investigation is unnecessary

Surprisingly, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff came out in support of Max Verstappen. The Austrian told Sky Germany that the 2x champion was clearly on the line and therefore an investigation wasn’t necessary.

F1 commentator David Croft clarified later, “Max wasn’t outside the grid box. His tires were making contact with the white line. If you are over the line, then it’s a penalty but if you are touching it then you are fine. If you are outside it’s a penalty.”

F1 drivers have complained previously regarding the low visibility of the grid box lines. Already two drivers have served penalties for incorrect starting procedures by breaching the demarcated lines.

Esteban Ocon in Bahrain and Fernando Alonso in Saudi Arabia served 5-second penalties in the respective races for the violation. But the dup stated that it is difficult to judge the position of the car due to the low ride height and poor visibility of the marking lines.

The FIA agreed to extend the width of the grid boxes for the Australian GP by 20 cm. However, if the problem persists the authority will need to find an alternative solution to the concern of drivers.