Verstappen Penalized: 1-Place Grid Drop for Driving Too Slowly

The stewards have handed Max Verstappen a one-place grid penalty for the Qatar Grand Prix following an investigation into alleged slow driving during qualifying. They determined that the usual three-place penalty was unnecessary due to the unique circumstances of this incident.

The incident occurred during a cooldown lap, where Verstappen was found to have breached Article 33.4 of the FIA Sporting Regulations by driving unnecessarily slowly.

After complaints were raised by Mercedes' George Russell, the stewards reviewed data, video, telemetry, and radio evidence. While Verstappen had allowed two cars to pass and was cooling his tires, his positioning and slow speed were deemed unacceptable, particularly as he remained on the racing line.

Key Points from the Decision:

- Neither Verstappen (Car 1) nor Russell (Car 63) was on a push lap during the incident.

- Russell highlighted the danger of a slow car remaining on the racing line in a high-speed corner.

- The penalty was reduced as Russell had clear visibility of Verstappen, and neither driver was on a timed lap.

- Verstappen also received one penalty point on his license, bringing his total to six over the last 12 months.