Max Verstappen claimed had he sped through yellow flags in the Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix instead of Lando Norris “it would have been investigated straight away.”
While leading the Qatar GP, Red Bull’s Verstappen was being pursued by McLaren rival Norris, but a loose wing mirror flung clear from Alex Albon’s Williams on Lap 30 changed the complexion of the battle.
Verstappen observed Norris failing to lift through double-waved yellow flags at Turn 1, the site of the loose wing mirror and immediately protested over team radio to Race Engineer Gianpiero Lambiase.
“Check if he lifted for the yellow,” Verstappen told Lambiase. “There was a yellow in the middle of the straight.”
After confirming he’d look into it, Lambiase later replied: “Lando did not lift, Max.”
Verstappen then prompted his Race Engineer to report the incident.
Upon their review, the race stewards issued Norris a 10-second stop-and-go penalty, removing him from race-winning contention.
READ MORE – McLaren unsure Lando Norris could’ve won F1 Qatar GP without penalty
Explaining his methodology post-race, Verstappen said if the shoe was on the other foot, he would have been investigated immediately.
“I knew that I lifted because I saw the double yellow,” he said.
“And I know that, of course, if I wouldn’t have lifted, it would have been investigated straight away. So you’re just on it.
“I asked if he lifted because he had a DRS, I think, from a backmarker at the same time as well. And when we came out of Turn 1, I saw that he was a lot closer.
“So I just asked the team to check it. I mean, it was just a normal question. And I know, of course, with double yellows, [the stewards are] quite strict.”
Christian Horner: Verstappen keen to see Norris investigated after qualifying penalty
Verstappen had his own interaction with the F1 stewards in Qatar, seeing his pole position stripped from him for impeding Mercedes’ Geroge Russell in qualifying.
The nature of the stewards’ hearing with Russell left a sour taste in Verstappen’s mouth, whereby he claimed the Mercedes driver campaigned harder against him than anyone in his career to ensure he was penalised.
As a result, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner told select media including Motorsport Week that the Dutchman was keen to see justice served when Norris breached yellow flag conditions.
“We have the GPS data live so we can see the speed comparison,” Horner explained.
“When you look at the speed profile comparison of Lando versus Max, you can see the DRS wide open. He was still absolutely flat out. And there was a double-waved yellow there.
“I think with Max having spent a little bit of intimate time with the stewards on Saturday, he was very keen that it was looked at thoroughly.
“He kept reminding us had it been looked at and of course that then gets passed by the sporting director to the race director.”
Max Verstappen using rulebook to his advantage is ‘the job of being a driver’
Horner was probed on Verstappen’s sharpness in the F1 cockpit when it comes to using the rulebook to his advantage.
In Brazil, the Red Bull driver was keenly aware of the false race start procedure, instigated by Norris and the incident in Qatar was another example of his shrewd mind.
Horner said, “It’s part of the job of being a driver, isn’t it?”
Moreover, the failing lights on the Safety Car mid-way through the Qatar GP was another situation where Verstappen could’ve been caught out, but wasn’t.
“I think, again, the rule that nearly had us over today was the message came, ‘Safety Car in this lap,’ but the light stayed on the Safety Car and so you’re then supposed to keep a distance to the back of the car,” Horner said.
“[Verstappen] couldn’t slow the pack up because he was unsure what the Safety Car was going to do.
“He was following the instructions from the Safety Car, basically. Then it came into the pits, which then compromised him. But he was still fortunate to stay ahead of Lando down at Turn 1.”
READ MORE – Christian Horner: Mercedes ‘made a big meal’ out of Max Verstappen Qatar F1 impeding incident
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