Max Verstappen has been penalized for driving unnecessarily slow and blocking George Russell, resulting in him losing pole position at the F1 Qatar Grand Prix.
The reigning four-time world champion was called to the Qatar stewards for impeding Russell at Turn 12-13-14 during a slow lap before the final flying laps of Q3.
Verstappen’s breach of F1 regulations led to a one-place grid penalty, dropping him to P2 for the upcoming race.
Although he initially secured pole position by a narrow margin, it has now been taken away.
The stewards’ explanation
“Car 1 was on a different strategy and failed to follow the race director’s guidelines, resulting in an unnecessary slow drive,” the stewards stated.
They deemed it a complicated case, considering the circumstances surrounding the incident.
How the drivers reacted
Verstappen played down the incident, attributing it to the nature of qualifying laps.
Russell, on the other hand, expressed frustration over the incident and its impact on his lap.
