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Verstappen Avoids Penalties For Hamilton And Norris Incidents At Hungarian F1

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - JULY 21: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 leads Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team W15 during the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on July 21, 2024 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202407210370 // Usage for editorial use only //

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The Hungarian Grand Prix was an action-packed race full of incidents including team-order disputes, a McLaren one-two, and an angry Max Verstappen complaining about team orders and narrowly avoiding penalties for two incidents. Finishing fifth, Verstappen saw his championship lead over Lando Norris, who came home second, slip to 76 points.

Just over halfway through the F1 calendar, Max Verstappen is in a commanding position. Following his fifth-place finish, he now sits 76 points clear of second-placed Lando Norris and is the sportsbook’s favorite to win the championship, with some of the best online betting sites offering odds of -350 to take the championship title. Norris is second favorite with odds of +400, representing decent value after Verstappen’s winless three-race streak. Bettors can also find further value by shopping around for first-deposit bonuses and taking advantage of crypto gambling bonuses.

Verstappen is vying for his fourth world championship and is known for being an aggressive driver. That driving style has seen him involved in several crashes and clashes, including two at this month’s Hungarian GP.

Verstappen Investigation

The first of Verstappen’s incidents came at the first bend. The champion started in P3 behind Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s Mercedes. The three drivers headed into the turn on roughly equal footing but Verstappen, challenging around the outside of the bend, ran wide and went off track. On rejoining, he took second place from Norris. The Brit and Verstappen complained over team radios.

The FIA duly placed Verstappen under investigation and informed the team that if he didn’t give the position back, he could face a penalty after the race. The Red Bull driver gave the position back, eventually, and, given the FIA’s findings, it looks like that was the right move.

Following the investigation, the FIA said Verstappen gained an advantage by going off track and rejoining ahead of Norris but went on to say that because he gave the position back, no further action would be taken.

Verstappen didn’t necessarily agree with the decision, however, as he stated “so you can just drive people off the track then?” That wouldn’t be the last time in the race that Verstappen took umbrage with…

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