Max Verstappen remains puzzled as to why he received a one-place grid penalty in Qatar. As a result, the Dutchman had to start Sunday’s race from second place, but he still managed to win it in a spectacular fashion. According to Verstappen, he only drove slower during Q3 of the qualifying to avoid obstructing other drivers. “Perhaps I shouldn’t be so nice,” concludes the four-time world champion.
Verstappen drove gloriously to pole position during Saturday’s qualifying in Qatar, only to see it evaporate a few hours later. The Dutchman received a one-place grid penalty for ‘unnecessarily slow driving’ in Q3. Verstappen also encountered George Russell on the track. The Red Bull driver took revenge the next day by overtaking the Brit in the first corner.
“Honestly, I couldn’t believe I got it,” Verstappen reflects on his grid penalty, speaking to the media in Qatar. “But in a way, I also felt like, well, I’m not surprised anymore given the world I live in. You’re not happy about it. But at some point, you just have to turn the page.
‘Perhaps I Shouldn’t Be Nice’
The fact that Max Verstappen had to move back one place on the grid was an exceptional situation. The penalty is not often imposed. “I think it’s the first time someone has been penalized in a slow lap,” Verstappen also says. “While I was just trying to be nice. So maybe I shouldn’t be nice. I didn’t want to get in anyone’s way while they were preparing their (fast) lap.”
“And by doing that, being nice, I get a penalty,” continues the four-time world champion. “And that’s what I was trying to explain. But it felt like I was talking to a brick wall. So for whatever reason, there wasn’t much possible.” The incident between Verstappen and Russell occurred when both drivers were not yet on their fast laps, which is why the Dutchman only received a one-place grid penalty instead of the usual three.
