Verstappen on his penalty: « A waste of time talking about it »
Despite his pole position, Max Verstappen finished second in Jeddah after receiving a 5-second penalty following an incident with Piastri at the first corner. In post-race interviews, the four-time world champion refused to comment on the stewards' decision, saying that any discussion of the matter would be a waste of time.
Max Verstappen took second place in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, a frustrating result for the four-time world champion, whose race was compromised from the first corner by a decision from the stewards.
An incident at the start that proves costly
The Dutch poleman lost the advantage to Oscar Piastri right at the first corner. In his attempt to maintain the lead, Verstappen ran wide and cut the corner, which earned him a five-second penalty.
The video analysis of the incident showed that Piastri was slightly ahead when approaching the apex of the turn, a factor that undoubtedly influenced the stewards’ quick decision to impose this penalty on the Red Bull driver. When his engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, informed him of the penalty, Verstappen responded with frustration: “Well, that’s **** great.” His team then encouraged him to “focus.”
A solid race despite the penalty
Despite this setback, Verstappen delivered a solid performance, maintaining a lead of about one second over Piastri during the first half of the race. He even managed to extend his lead to 2.5 seconds before the first pit stop.
On the 22nd lap, the Red Bull driver came into the pits and served his penalty. Unfortunately, this extra delay caused him to come out behind Lewis Hamilton and three seconds behind Piastri, a gap he never managed to close despite a pace similar to that of the Australian.
Words tinged with frustration
Upon arrival, Verstappen, visibly frustrated, remained measured in his remarks, avoiding any comment on the stewards’ decision. “I’ll keep it short. I want to say a big thank you to the fans in Jeddah. It was a great weekend along the track, and the rest is what it is. I’m looking forward to being in Miami. See you there,” he said before quickly leaving the post-race interview.
Faced with the media, the Dutchman stood firm on his position while refusing to go into the details of the penalty: “To be honest, I think any discussion on this subject is just a waste of time for everyone.” Asked about a comparison with Lando Norris’s situation in Austin, who received a similar penalty last year, he replied: “We’ve talked a lot about it, and this year’s rules are different from last year’s, so that’s not the issue. But honestly, it’s also not for me to worry about.” he stated on Sky Sports, refusing to provide details on the rules in question and simply saying: “Let’s get the documents. It’s all written.”
A positive weekend nonetheless
Despite his frustration, Verstappen wanted to hold on to the positive aspects of his weekend: « I think the positive point is that we had a good race pace. I was also much more satisfied with these medium tires because, honestly, I didn’t expect that kind of pace. But it showed that the adjustments made to the car between Friday and Saturday really helped, especially with tire wear. »
When asked one last time about a possible appeal of the decision, the Dutchman was categorical: « No. It is not in my interest. The only thing that interests me now is going home. »
With this second place, the four-time world champion remains solidly positioned in the title race. The battle with the McLarens of Piastri and Norris promises to enliven the rest of the 2025 season—a situation that could be beneficial to him in the long run, especially if the rivalry between the two drivers ends up costing them points.
