Max Verstappen penalized three times at the British Grand Prix
After the fines Red Bull had received because of Isack Hadjar during Free Practice 1, now three fines have been added to Max Verstappen for excessive speed in the pit lane and during the formation lap.
During the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Red Bull was fined by the FIA three times due to Max Verstappen’s speeding in the pit lane.
These infractions took place during the training sessions before the race, where the drivers go through the pit lane to prepare their single-seaters and make final adjustments before the start.
Max Verstappen, who finished second at Silverstone, therefore incurred three penalties for a total of €300 for Red Bull, or €100 per infringement. A small penalty that could have gone much further than just a few hundred euros.
A speed too high
During the training sessions that take place 45 minutes before the race, Verstappen was recorded three times exceeding the speed limit of 80 km/h maximum in the pit lane. He exceeded the limit by 0.4 km/h twice and by 0.5 km/h once. The FIA is very strict on this point.
It is quite common in Formula 1 to receive fines of this type, as Yuki Tsunoda and Nico Hülkenberg experienced during the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix. The Dutch driver did not make the mistake during the Grand Prix, which earned him a relatively low penalty.
For Yuki Tsunoda and Nico Hülkenberg, five-second penalties had been imposed on them despite a speeding excess of 0.1km/h for the Japanese driver. The three infractions are considered a violation of article 34.7 and can be contested by the teams, even though it probably won’t happen, Max Verstappen’s fault being clear.
These penalties did not have any impact on the driver’s race or position in the standings, but they highlight the importance of adhering to the rules in Formula 1.
