Max Verstappen has received a five-second time penalty for his Virtual Safety Car infringement in the sprint race, dropping him to fourth place in the final classification.
Verstappen crossed the line third at Interlagos on Saturday afternoon, trailing the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, but faced an investigation for a potential VSC breach on the last lap restart.
Just before the lights went green, Verstappen pulled alongside Piastri, only to drop back just as the sprint race resumed. Under the VSC, drivers are required to stick to a minimum ‘delta’ to ensure they do not gain an advantage on the cars ahead.
According to the stewards, Verstappen:
💬 “was 0.63 seconds below the minimum time at VSC End when the FIA light panels changed to green. This indicates a sporting advantage gained under VSC.”
Verstappen explained in the hearing that he tried to correct the error after receiving the notification that he was under the delta, but failed to do so before the race went back to green.
The penalty drops Verstappen from P3 to P4 in the sprint, behind Charles Leclerc, and also means that his championship lead over Norris is now down to 44 points ahead of qualifying for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Saturday.
Verstappen also received one penalty point on his FIA super license, taking him up to seven for a 12-month period. Any driver who reaches 12 points in 12 months receives a one-race ban.
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