Max Verstappen receives a warning from the FIA after throwing a towel on the track
During Free Practice 2, Max Verstappen received a warning from the track marshals for having thrown a towel, forgotten by the team, directly onto the track from his bucket. Although it was harmless and picked up, the object nevertheless raised a few questions.
The FIA has decided to warn the four-time world champion, Max Verstappen, for throwing an item on the track, raising questions about the thrown object and a potential risk for other drivers. Ultimately deemed to pose little danger, the act is still sanctioned with a “warning.”
The FIA stewards examined an unusual scene that occurred during the Hungarian Grand Prix practice this Friday: shortly after leaving his garage, Max Verstappen was seen throwing a towel out of the cockpit of his Red Bull. After hearing from the driver and a team representative, as well as analyzing the onboard videos, the exact circumstances were clarified.
According to the FIA report, « shortly after car 1 left the garage, the driver was observed throwing a towel from the cockpit ». Verstappen explained that « the face towel had slipped from his knees to the side of the seat while he was in the garage, and the team was unaware that it was still in the cockpit ».
It was upon realizing the presence of the towel while on the track that the Dutchman made the decision to get rid of it, acting with caution: when he noticed it, he moved completely to the right side of the track and tried to throw it as far away as possible from the car and the track.
The commissioners judged that the object, although not dangerous in itself, could have had consequences: « the towel had the potential to get caught in the pedals and interfere with the driver’s ability to fully control the car », thus concluding that « the car had been released [on track] in dangerous conditions ».
However, they were keen to distinguish this situation from a more serious case: « the commissioners believe that this case is different from a situation where a hard object (and therefore potentially dangerous) is left in the cockpit and that it is less serious ».
As a result, a simple warning was issued to the Red Bull team, without any fine or sporting penalty. A discreet but clear reminder regarding safety checks before the cars’ departure.
