Max Verstappen has been under intense scrutiny from the stewards. On Saturday, the Red Bull driver received his fourth penalty in just one week.
This time, the Dutchman was handed a five-second penalty in the São Paulo Grand Prix Sprint race, which dropped him from the third position he initially finished in to fourth, behind Charles Leclerc (Ferrari).
The penalty stemmed from an infraction during the virtual safety car in the final laps. Verstappen was recorded at 0.63 seconds under the minimum allowed time as the VSC ended and green flags were shown.
According to the stewards, the three-time world champion gained a competitive advantage under the virtual safety car conditions. Verstappen argued that he attempted to correct his speed as soon as he was notified of the potential infraction but couldn’t do so in time.
It’s worth noting that Verstappen received two 10-second penalties last week at the Mexico City GP due to infringements while fighting with Lando Norris (McLaren/Mercedes). Additionally, at Interlagos, he faces a five-place grid penalty for the main race due to an engine change.
