While Max Verstappen Goes Unscathed, $1,000,000 Earning Driver and His Team Obligated to Pay $5,337 for His Offence Against Lance Stroll, Leaving Fans Unhappy

Max Verstappen had a disastrous performance at the 2023 Singapore GP qualification. Amid this, he had to meet the stewards for impeding Yuki Tsunoda of AlphaTauri which resulted in Red Bull paying the fine for him. However, the fans are unhappy about the fact that Verstappen got away only with a warning similar to Logan Sargeant, as per Chris Medland, but did not receive a grid penalty.

Admittedly, Sargeant, who earns $1,000,000 a year with Williams, impeded Stroll in turn eight while the Aston Martin driver was in his flying lap in Q1. It was a miscommunication between Williams and the driver, which caused the confusion. Following the conclusion of the qualification, stewards called Sargeant in and handed him a reprimand and a $5337 fine for Williams.

Reprimand for Sargeant for impeding Stroll in Q1, with a €5,000 fine for Williams as it failed to inform him of an approaching car #F1 #SingaporeGP

— Chris Medland (@ChrisMedlandF1) September 16, 2023

However, it did not cause Stroll to crash as the Canadian driver lost control of his car after he went too far into the curb. In the end, the crash jeopardized the proceeding of the Q1, and the Red flag was called.

Fans were furious after Verstappen’s incident

As Verstappen impeded Tsunoda, the FIA let him go with a reprimand and a $5337 fine for Red Bull. This left the fans unhappy as they highlighted the inconsistency on the part of the governing body.

The Tifosi specifically were angry over it since Charles Leclerc received a grid penalty in Monaco for a similar kind of blockade on Lando Norris. Therefore, this has not been a fair ground for the Scuderia fans.

Poor communication from the team was never an excuse for Charles to not get a penalty. pic.twitter.com/o8LnvNrppQ

— tami. (@Vetteleclerc) September 16, 2023

Nevertheless, the Tifosi can rejoice as they have their drivers up on the pecking order. With Red Bull’s absence up the order, this is a very good chance to wrap up the win.

Can Ferrari break Max Verstappen and Red Bull’s dominance?

Carlos Sainz starts Sunday’s race from the pole position, and his teammate Charles Leclerc starts from P3. Between them, they have a Mercedes of George Russell, who would also be vying for a win.

Therefore, this is a perfect situation for the Prancing Horse to claim at least two podiums, if not a perfect 1-2 at the Marina Bay Circuit. That, too with both the Red Bulls far behind in P11 and P13.

As Max Verstappen, the man who always pushes for pole position, saw himself out of Q2 after a series of tough runs and starts from further back, it is unlikely that he can come all the way up to get back on the top spot of the podium in a street circuit like Singapore.