Formula 1 championship leader Max Verstappen has been summoned to the stewards for allegedly failing to respect double-waved yellow flags in Qatar Grand Prix qualifying.
Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas and Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz were also subsequently called up for the smaller offence of not respecting a single waved yellow.
Verstappen qualified second on the grid for the inaugural Qatar GP despite failing to improve on his second run.
At the end of that lap he caught the limping AlphaTauri of Pierre Gasly, who had broken his front wing on a kerb and punctured his front left tyre.
Verstappen’s onboard footage shows him accelerating out of the final corner as double-waved yellows are deployed to warn of Gasly’s slow but still-moving car off the racing line by the pitwall.
His final two mini-sectors of the lap were slower than his previous best times, while the two mini-sectors before that were the fastest of the session so far.
That may indicate he lifted although it is not possible to determine if so, or whether it was by enough.
It is believed that the laptime deletion system introduced recently for anyone who passes through a double-waved yellow did not get automatically applied for Verstappen because he passed the light panel after it changed – as it was physical double-waved yellows that were in use when he approached.
Verstappen has a 14-point lead in the championship but could face a grid penalty if found guilty of the rules breach.
He will appear before the stewards on Sunday, at 1pm local time (10am UK time), with Bottas and Sainz at 1.30pm and 1.45pm respectively.
Bottas is currently third on the grid, with Sainz seventh.
Grid penalties are likely for all three if the stewards conclude they broke the yellow flag rules, with Verstappen’s set to be a greater demotion as the flags were not being waved – indicating a less severe situation – by the time Bottas and Sainz came through.
Verstappen’s title rival Lewis Hamilton qualified on pole for Sunday’s grand prix.
