Max Verstappen has moved closer to an automatic race ban after being penalised for his collision with Oscar Piastri.
The Red Bull driver collided with the McLaren immediately after the start of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Verstappen made a quick start from fourth on the grid and attempted to pass Piastri, who started second, at turn one.
However the pair made contact at the exit of the corner and both spun. Piastri, who was ahead when they touched, immediately blamed his rival. “Move of a world champion, that one,” he remarked.
The stewards handed Verstappen a 10-second time penalty. “Good,” replied Piastri when race engineer Tom Stallard informed him.
Verstappen defended his move. “I was just super-unlucky,” he said on his radio. “I was all the way up the inside before the crash.”
In addition to his time penalty, the stewards also issued Verstappen two penalty points. He had six penalty points prior to the race, meaning he is now on a total of eighth, leaving him four shy of an automatic ban.
“Car one [Verstappen] attempted to overtake car 81 [Piastri] on the inside into turn one, but never got far enough alongside,” the stewards noted. “Both cars collided shortly after the apex.
“The stewards determine that the driver of car one was wholly at fault and caused the collision.”
This article will be updated
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2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
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