Explained: Why was Max Verstappen penalized for his incident with Oscar Piastri?
Max Verstappen grabbed the headlines on Sunday after he collided with Oscar Piastri during the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver tried to go down the inside, and in the process, he collected Piastri. Following this, Verstappen received a 10-second time penalty from the Stewards.
While the FIA Stewards followed the guidelines set in the sport, a few questioned the legitimacy of the verdict. In today's article, we are going to explain why the FIA penalized Verstappen for the Lap 1 collision.
After the race, the FIA released a document explaining the whole procedure — how Max Verstappen breached the code of conduct, and what led to his 10-second time penalty.
According to the document, the four-time world champion breached Appendix L, Chapter IV, Article 2d of the International Sporting Code.
Here's the detail of his penalty revealed by the FIA:
"The Stewards reviewed the video and in-car video evidence. Car 1 attempted to overtake Car 81 on the inside into turn 1, but never got car enough alongside. Both cars collided shortly after the apex. The Stewards determine that the driver of Car 1 was wholly at fault and caused the collision."
"Decisions of the Stewards are taken independently of the FIA and are based solely on the relevant regulations, guidelines and evidence present," the statement read.
Felix Holter, Loic Bacquelaine, Derek Warwick, and Mohammed Al Hashmi were the F1 Stewards for the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
How did Max Verstappen collide with Oscar Piastri?
Verstappen started the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP race from P4 and was placed directly behind Oscar Piastri. As the Red Bull driver gained momentum after the race started, he took the slipstream. In doing so, he dived inside and tried to go for a minuscule gap he deemed existed.
However, Piastri, upon seeing Verstappen from his left mirror, closed down the space and ran him out of room. And the result? In the blink of an eye, the duo collided. Verstappen's right front tire made contact with Piastri's rear left tire, sending both of them into the runoff area.
The Stewards took note of the incident and penalized Max Verstappen by giving him a 10-second time penalty and two penalty points, taking his total points to eight out of 12. Piastri, however, escaped unscathed but not for long.
He made another contact with Franco Colapinto of Williams and received a 10-second time penalty. However, at the end of the day, Piastri's situation did not bother McLaren much as his teammate, Lando Norris, claimed the Abu Dhabi GP victory to help his team clinch the 2024 Constructors' Championship.