Max Verstappen had little to say about his time penalty after the race in Saudi Arabia. The Dutch driver received a five-second penalty for an incident with Oscar Piastri in the first turn of the race in Jeddah. Verstappen disagreed with the decision but preferred not to say too much about it after the race: ‘Because then I could get fined.’
Oscar Piastri had a flying start in Jeddah, almost overtaking pole sitter Max Verstappen in turn 1. The Dutchman then went off the track but maintained the lead in the race. The stewards handed Verstappen a five-second time penalty for the incident, ruling that the driver gained an advantage by leaving the track after the start.
Verstappen refused to further discuss the incident in the press conference. “The start happened, and suddenly it was the fiftieth lap. I probably better not talk about it, otherwise I could get fined.” With this, the Dutchman seems to be referring to the stricter penalty guidelines of the FIA for 2025, where the use of a swear word is punished with a hefty fine.
Battle with Piastri
The Dutchman, who was named Driver of the Day in Jeddah, doesn’t say much about the ongoing battle with Oscar Piastri in the opening stages. “It all happened so quickly. I’d better not talk about it, as it could get me into trouble,” he says.
However, Verstappen has high praise for the Australian. “People tend to forget that he’s only in his third season. He’s very good, delivers when he needs to, and hardly makes any mistakes. I find that very impressive. And he has Mark (Webber, Piastri’s manager and former racer) by his side, in the same way that I always have my father.”
‘The Way the World Is’
Verstappen is repeatedly asked why he doesn’t want to talk much about the incident in the first corner. “It’s the way the world is at the moment,” explains the four-time world champion. “You can’t just freely express your opinion anymore. Apparently, it’s not appreciated. Or people can’t handle the truth. That’s just how everything is now, everyone is extremely sensitive about everything. We can’t be very critical anymore. I’m fine with it, it means I have to talk less.”
