Las Vegas Grand Prix: Max Verstappen does not challenge his penalty

At the start of the race, Max Verstappen takes off from second position. He catches up with the leader Charles Leclerc at the first corner, but the temperature of the track and the Dutchman’s tires, combined with a late braking, causes him to push the Monegasque driver outside the track limits and thus takes the first place. Very quickly, his maneuver is placed under investigation by the stewards. Later, the penalty is announced and the driver incurs a 5-second penalty, which he will serve at his next pit stop. The three-time world champion, upon hearing about his penalty from his engineer, sends a response of his own. « Yeah, alright, send them my regards ».

In the post-race press conference, Max Verstappen explains his reaction. You know, in the moment, you’re also full of adrenaline and I wasn’t happy with the decision. But, looking back, I think it was probably the right decision.

He also explained his maneuver that led to the penalty. Well, I mean, the start was good. But then, we braked quite late to defend the position, but I was a bit on the inside, on the dirt, I suppose. As soon as we are a bit off the racing line here, the grip is extremely low. And that’s what happened. I braked and there was no grip. […] And yes, after that, with those five seconds, it was definitely a bit harder to come back to the front.

The Red Bull driver was seen after the race, discussing the incident with Charles Leclerc in the vehicle taking them to the podium. He will later explain, “I didn’t want to push Charles off the track, but I couldn’t slow down and continued sliding on all four wheels, sideways. That’s why we had to make a wide turn.”

Verstappen’s time penalty ultimately proved ineffective as he won his 18th race of the season, surpassing Leclerc who overtook Sergio Perez in the final turn of the race to secure a P2.