Verstappen handed five-second penalty in Brazil GP sprint, drops to fourth
SAO PAULO – Max Verstappen, the current championship leader, faced a setback during Saturday's Brazilian Grand Prix sprint race after being handed a five-second penalty for breaching Virtual Safety Car (VSC) rules. This demotion from third place to fourth has reduced his lead over title rival Lando Norris to 44 points with four grands prix remaining.
The decision by the stewards saw Charles Leclerc promoted to third place in the final classification. The VSC rule, implemented to slow cars during track incidents that do not warrant a full safety car, stipulates a minimum time that drivers must observe. Verstappen was found to be 0.63 seconds below this minimum time as he attempted a pass on Oscar Piastri for second place.
"This indicates a sporting advantage gained under VSC," the stewards explained. "The driver [Verstappen] explained that as he was awaiting VSC to end and he got the notification that he was below the minimum time, he attempted to correct the error but failed to do so by the point that the panels turned green. This is a breach and the standard penalty is applied for the advantage gained at that time. The net effect of this put the driver ahead of where he was at the start of the VSC and not as a result of the car in front falling back."
The five-second penalty relegated Verstappen to fourth place, resulting in him scoring five points instead of six for third place. Additionally, Verstappen received a penalty point on his superlicence, bringing his total to seven in the last 12 months. Accumulating 12 points within a year would result in a race ban.
Lando Norris emerged victorious in the Brazil sprint race, securing the maximum eight points after McLaren directed teammate Oscar Piastri to yield the lead with two laps remaining.
As the championship battle intensifies, Verstappen's penalty adds an extra layer of drama to the remaining grands prix of the season.
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