Max Verstappen escapes penalty after qualifying investigation at Dutch Grand Prix
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen will keep his third place on the grid after stewards cleared him of any wrongdoing following Saturday’s qualifying session at Zandvoort.
The three-time world champion was called to the stewards’ office to explain why he exceeded the maximum delta time between safety car lines after the session ended.
Fans held their breath for nearly an hour before officials announced their decision to take no further action.
Why did Verstappen avoid punishment? The answer lies in some quick thinking during his cool-down lap.
According to the stewards’ report, Verstappen drove 3.8 seconds over the time limit specified in the race director’s notes. This happened after Q3 had already finished.
“The driver of Car 1 showed us telemetry that proved that he would have been within the delta time but for the yellow flag being shown towards the end of the lap,” the stewards explained.
Verstappen had to slow down significantly when he encountered yellow flags, putting him over the maximum time allowed. The stewards accepted his explanation and decided against any penalty.
This means the home favorite will start from P3 in Sunday’s race, behind both McLarens.
Verstappen couldn’t match the pace of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in qualifying, finishing about two-tenths of a second behind the papaya cars.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella seems concerned about the Dutchman’s race prospects despite qualifying behind both McLaren drivers. Speaking to GPblog and other media outlets after the session, Stella warned about a “powerful weapon” that Verstappen has at his disposal if used at the right moment.
The Dutch crowd will be hoping their hero can put that weapon to good use when the lights go out tomorrow.
