Max Verstappen makes his feelings known about crash with Oscar Piastri at the F1 Abu Dhabi GP
Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri came together on Lap 1 at the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP. The Dutchman was subsequently given a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision. Although the Red Bull driver was furious at the FIA for the penalty given to him, he made his feelings clear about the crash with the Aussie after the race.
Verstappen told the media including Sportskeeda after the Abu Dhabi GP:
“I already apologized to Oscar. You just don’t want something like that to happen, especially not with him. He’s a great guy. But it happened and that’s just a bit of a shame.
“For me, the most important thing I had to do was apologize to Oscar. Because I had nothing to gain, nothing to lose. I went for it. It didn't work out. I feel bad for him the most that we both spun. It's not nice. He's a friend of mine, so I want things to be good between us when we go into the winter break.”
Max Verstappen had a brilliant start and overtook Sainz off the line. Going into Turn 1, the Dutchman tried to sneak on the inside of Piastri’s McLaren but the space disappeared. The Red Bull driver was unable to avoid a collision with the Aussie and hit his left rear, which spun Piastri around and sent him to the back of the grid.
When the Dutchman was informed of the penalty given to him for the incident, he lashed out on the radio at the stewards’ decision. Verstappen sarcastically suggested that the stewards should've made it a 20-second penalty instead. However, the 2024 F1 champion did realize his mistake and how it impacted Oscar Piastri's race. Hence, he apologized to the McLaren driver after the race.
“It's not worth my time”: Max Verstappen fails to understand the penalty given to him by the FIA
The four-time world champion was furious at the FIA for the grid drop awarded to him at the 2024 Qatar GP following George Russell's complaint. The Abu Dhabi GP penalty only made things worse as Verstappen lashed out at FIA for the severity of the penalty given to him. The Dutchman failed to understand FIA’s reasoning behind the same.
Max Verstappen told the media including Sportskeeda after the Abu Dhabi GP:
“I don't understand it anymore. But it's okay, never mind. I'm not going to get angry about things like that. It's not worth my time. And yes, I'm looking forward to a break. Like I said, the most important thing for me is to apologize to Oscar. And that's it.”
The Dutchman was given two penalty points on his license for the Lap 1 crash and he currently sits on eight points. A total of 12 penalty points will lead to a race suspension. The Red Bull driver was reminded of the penalty points given to him. Verstappen responded:
“Maybe I can make sure I have twelve when the baby is born, then I can go on paternity leave.”
Kelly Piquet and Max Verstappen announced during the Abu Dhabi GP weekend that the Brazilian model is pregnant with the Dutchman's child. The 27-year-old was sneaky enough to use the news and get back at the FIA over the penalty points.