The Formula 1 stewards felt the speed Max Verstappen carried into the second part of the Senna S meant he was “predominantly at fault” in his Brazilian Grand Prix collision with Lewis Hamilton, and therefore deserved a penalty.
Verstappen attacked 2021 F1 title rival Hamilton for second place at the early safety car restart at Interlagos, going down the outside into the first part of the Senna S and nosing slightly ahead.
But Hamilton was marginally back in front going into the second part of the corner, where they made contact that broke the Red Bull’s front wing and resulted in the Mercedes going wide off the track.
Verstappen was judged to be at fault and given a 5s time penalty – served at his first pitstop – and two penalty points on his licence, taking him to seven for the current 12-month period. Five of those expire during the upcoming off-season so he is at no risk of a ban.
“The stewards reviewed the video from several angles, including in-car cameras, CCTV and broadcast video,” said the stewards’ verdict.
“The stewards determined that Verstappen attempted to pass Hamilton on the outside of Turn 1 by braking very late.
“He did not complete the pass in Turn 1 and his excess speed compromised his entry into Turn 2, at which point he made contact with Hamilton.
“While the stewards recognise that Hamilton could possibly have given a little more room at the apex of Turn 2, the stewards determined that Verstappen was predominantly at fault.”
Verstappen eventually finished sixth.
