Max Verstappen hinted that he couldn`t fully express his frustration about a penalty he received at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix because people “can`t handle the full truth.”
The reigning world champion, who began the race in Jeddah on pole position, was penalized for gaining an advantage by leaving the track during a first-corner incident with Oscar Piastri, who ultimately won the race.
Piastri, starting from second, had a better start and moved alongside Verstappen on the inside. Verstappen refused to yield and went off-track to maintain his lead.
Red Bull and Verstappen initially chose not to give the position back to Piastri. Consequently, the stewards issued a five-second penalty, which allowed Piastri to take the lead after Verstappen served it during his pit stop.
Verstappen made it clear he was unhappy with the penalty but stated he couldn`t elaborate further, fearing repercussions from the FIA, the sport`s governing body.
“The problem is, I can`t share my opinion about it because I might get penalized,” Verstappen explained. “So, it`s better not to talk about it.”
“I think it’s better not to talk about it. Anything I say or try to say about it, it might get me in trouble.”
Different Rules This Year?
In a post-race interview, Verstappen was asked how this incident differed from a similar one with Lando Norris at the previous year`s United States Grand Prix, where Norris was penalized for the same offense.
Verstappen suggested that changes to the Drivers` Standards Guidelines for the current season meant the two incidents were not comparable.
He stated, “We talked about it a lot, and last year and this year are different kinds of rules, so that`s also not the problem.”
He added, “But honestly, this is also not my problem, to be honest.”
When asked to explain further, he just said, “Let`s get the paperwork. It`s all written down.”
The stewards` official ruling stated that because Piastri, as the overtaking driver, had moved ahead of Verstappen, he was entitled to the corner according to the guidelines.
The ruling detailed, “The stewards reviewed data, video, timing, telemetry, and in-car video evidence and determined that Car 81 [Piastri] had its front axle at least alongside the mirror of Car 1 [Verstappen] prior to and at the apex of corner 1 when trying to overtake Car 1 on the inside. In fact, Car 81 was alongside Car 1 at the apex.”
“Based on the Driver`s Standards Guidelines, it was therefore Car 81`s corner and he was entitled to be given room.”
“Car 1 then left the track and gained a lasting advantage that was not given back. He stayed in front of Car 81 and sought to build on the advantage.”
Horner: Rules Need Review
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner expressed more detailed disagreement with the penalty, claiming telemetry data supported his view that the decision was unfair.
He commented, “I thought it was very harsh. We didn`t concede the position because we didn`t believe that we had done anything wrong. You can quite clearly see at the apex of the corner we believe that Max is clearly ahead.”
“I can`t see how the stewards got to that conclusion. They`ve both gone in at the same speed. Oscar`s run deep into the corner, Max can`t just disappear at this point in time.”
“Perhaps these rules need a re-look at. I don`t know what happened to `let them race` on the first lap. That just seems to have been abandoned.”
Horner mentioned that due to the stewards` strong stance, an appeal from Red Bull was “highly unlikely.”
He also clarified that the decision to risk a penalty instead of relinquishing the position was influenced by the perceived threat from Mercedes` George Russell in third place.
“If we had given it up, we would have run in the dirty air and then would have been at risk with George,” Horner explained. “So, the best thing to do was, at that point, we got the penalty, get your head down, keep going.”
Piastri: Decision Was Correct
Oscar Piastri, who achieved his third career win and took the lead in the world championship, was confident the penalty was correctly awarded.
“I got a great launch and got myself alongside,” Piastri recounted. “From that point, I obviously had to brake quite late, but I knew that I had enough of my car alongside to take to the corner.”
“We obviously both braked extremely late, but I think, for me, I braked as late as I could while staying on the track. I think how it unfolded is how it should have been dealt with.”
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown agreed that Verstappen “definitely” deserved a penalty for not giving back the position.
Brown told Sky Sports F1, “I definitely thought a penalty was deserved. Oscar was clearly up the inside, got a better start, and you know, you need to use the race track.”
“Whether it`s a five-second penalty or give the position back, I think it could go either way. I thought it was definitely appropriate. It was Oscar`s corner, and at some point you`ve got to concede.”
Brundle: Piastri Had the Corner
Sky Sports F1 commentator Martin Brundle, who was commentating live during the incident, firmly believed Verstappen deserved a penalty, and maintained his stance after the race.
Brundle explained, “Oscar got into the first corner, got into the first apex – and I have read the rules for 2025 – and he had that corner.”
“But if your rival wants to come off the brakes – and if you look, there`s not a whole lot of steering lock going on – Max didn`t really try to go round the outside.”
“He`d lost that corner, and he should have tucked back in.”
“I think the team should have handed the place straight back. I think it was obviously he was going to take a penalty for that, then I think they might have had a chance to win the race.”
Wesley Dunham 
Gilbert Pendleton