Verstappen at the Limit: Could He Miss a Race?
Max Verstappen, the prominent Red Bull driver, is on the verge of an automatic race suspension due to a recent incident at the Spanish Grand Prix. The 10-second penalty imposed for colliding with George Russell has added pressure to the champion, who now accumulates 11 penalty points on his FIA superlicense. The incident, which Verstappen described as “not correct” on his social media, could have significant consequences for the driver. With just one more point, a suspension would be activated, forcing him to miss a race. Verstappen will need to be cautious in the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix and at Red Bull’s home race, the Austrian Grand Prix, as two of his penalty points will expire on June 30th, giving him a three-point margin before the British Grand Prix. This situation is reminiscent of Kevin Magnussen, who missed the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last year after accumulating 12 penalty points. Penalty points are awarded based on the severity and circumstances of each incident, although the interpretation of the regulations may vary among the stewards at each race. Verstappen’s transgression in Spain leaves him no margin for error, as even a minor incident could lead to more problems.Common Causes of Penalization
- Causing a collision: This is the most common reason for a penalty, and it applies when the stewards determine that a driver is clearly guilty of a crash with another. Verstappen’s incident with Russell in Spain was classified in this category.
- Forcing another driver off the track: Verstappen has been penalized in the past for this infraction, including an incident with Lando Norris at last year’s Mexican Grand Prix.
- Leaving the track and gaining an advantage: Although it usually results in a time penalty, Magnussen received penalty points for this reason at the 2023 Miami Grand Prix.
- Infractions under yellow or red flags: These occur when drivers do not respect the caution flags.
- Driving unnecessarily slowly: Verstappen received a penalty for this reason during the qualifying session of the Qatar Grand Prix.
- Infractions during the safety car and virtual safety car: Exceeding the speed limits set in these situations can lead to penalties.
Max Verstappen is third in the championship, 39 points behind Lando Norris.
The pressure on Verstappen and the Red Bull team increases ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix.
