“FIA makes no sense to me”: Former NASCAR driver pulls no punches on F1’s ‘stupid’ Max Verstappen ruling
Former NASCAR driver Landon Cassill did not hold back from criticizing Formula 1's sanctioning body, the FIA, following an early penalty in the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix. Red Bull Racing driver and four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen was penalized for an incident early at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, which has sparked controversy.
Verstappen started the race from pole position, sharing the front row with McLaren's Oscar Piastri, who had a better launch than the RBR driver. As both drivers approached turn 1, Piastri, who had the inside line, took P1 from Verstappen. However, Verstappen, with no room to move, went off the track and joined ahead of Piastri, illegally gaining an advantage by going off track. Verstappen was handed a five-second penalty for the incident.
However, only seconds later, contact between RBR driver Yuki Tsunoda and Alpine F1 Team's Pierre Gasly resulted in a safety car, halting the race. NASCAR veteran Cassill believes that if the safety car was out, the traditional position swap should have sufficed.
"5 second penalty instead of just giving the spot back is so stupid. You have a safety car. Just send the flag man out there and signal the universal “swap” sign with two rolled up flags. Now we watch an encumbered race. FIA makes no sense to me sometimes," he wrote on X.
Oscar Piastri clinched his third win of the season with a commanding drive in Jeddah, holding off Max Verstappen, who finished second. Charles Leclerc completed the podium for Scuderia Ferrari in third. Verstappen suggested in a post-race interview that the penalty may have cost him a potential victory.
On the NASCAR side, the Cup Series has wrapped up the first nine races of the 2025 season, with five drivers sharing the wins so far. The series now heads to Talladega Superspeedway, with the next race set for April 27 at 3:00 PM ET.
Former NASCAR legend weighs in on Max Verstappen vs Kyle Larson debate
Former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kevin Harvick recently weighed in on the popular debate between Hendrick Motorsports standout Kyle Larson and four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen. Speaking on his Happy Hour podcast, Harvick admitted that while Larson would need some time to adapt to an open-wheel car, he firmly believes he would ultimately outperform Verstappen.
On the flip side, Harvick stated that if Verstappen were to take on Larson in a NASCAR Next Gen car, Larson would come out on top at any cost.
"The thing that I can tell you is that if Kyle Larson went to drive Max Verstappen’s car, it wouldn’t be but one or two days and he’d be damn close to be as fast as Max Verstappen. But there is no way Max Verstappen comes over here and does that in a stock car. I think Max Verstappen is very talented, and very, very good at what he does for his discipline," Harvick said on the Happy Hour podcast (via FloRacing).
Larson is widely regarded as one of the most versatile drivers in motorsports today—with wins across dirt, sprint, midgets, and NASCAR’s top tiers, it’s no surprise Harvick threw his support behind him in a hypothetical head-to-head with Verstappen.
Would you agree with Harvick's pick? Drop your thoughts in the comments!