Max Verstappen opted to bite his lip rather than speak his mind following a controversial decision that cost him the win at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday.
The four-time world champion finished second behind Australian driver Oscar Piastri after being hit with a five-second time penalty for leaving the track during a dramatic first-corner incident.
Verstappen had started on pole, but Piastri got a far better start and had his nose in front heading to the first corner. As the pair battled for the lead, Verstappen cut across a chicane which the race stewards deemed had given him an unfair advantage.
The Red Bull driver, who gave a sarcastic response over the radio when told about the punishment during the race, was clearly frustrated but said he didn’t want to comment about the incident due to new rules brought in by the sport’s governing body which seeks to prevent drivers from criticising the organization.
“The problem is that I cannot share my opinion about it because I might get penalized,” Verstappen told reporters. “So it’s better not to speak 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.”
When asked whether he was frustrated with having to keep quiet on such issues, Verstappen said “it’s just the world we live in.”
He added: “You can’t share fully your opinion because it’s not appreciated, apparently, or people can’t handle the full truth.
“For me, honestly, it’s better for me if I don’t need to say too much, it also saves my time because we already have to do so much.
“It’s honestly just how everything is becoming. Everyone is super sensitive about everything. And then, of course, what we have currently, we cannot be critical anyway. So, that’s fine, less talking, even better for me.”
Verstappen was referring to FIA’s latest Sporting Code which includes a new rule forbidding: “Any words, deeds or writings that have caused moral injury or loss to the FIA.”
Drivers can be banned 10,000 euros ($11,300) for the first offense, but can be suspended for a month and docked championship points for repeatedly breaching the new rule.
While Verstappen held his tongue, Red Bull’s team principal Christian Horner said the decision was “tough” to take.
“I don’t know where Max was supposed to go in that first corner,” he told Sky Sports.
FIA published its reasons for handing Verstappen a penalty on its website, stating he “left the track and gained a lasting advantage that was not given back.”
It added: “Ordinarily, the baseline penalty for leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage is 10 seconds. However, given that this was lap one and turn one incident, we considered that to be a mitigating circumstance and imposed a 5 second time penalty instead.”
It’s the latest setback in what has been a turbulent season so far for Red Bull and Verstappen – with the driver having to dismiss rumors that he could leave the team.
The 27-year-old has been openly critical of the car’s performance in recent weeks but was at least buoyed by a distinct improvement in Saudi Arabia which saw him able to compete with his rivals.
Verstappen, though, still sits third in the standings, two points behind Lando Norris and 12 behind the current leader Piastri.
Source: edition.cnn.com
