The Qatar Grand Prix was incident-filled, and with that came an abundance of punishments and matters for the FIA stewards to deal with.
Lando Norris was handed the most serious penalty before a disqualification on Sunday after failing to slow down for double-waved yellow flags.
Lewis Hamilton was handed two separate cautions for jump-starting and speeding in the pit lane – a very messy day for the seven-time champion.
But it was what happened during qualifying that surprised many, with a rare one-place grid penalty handed out to Max Verstappen.
Tom Coronel claims FIA trying to make a ‘statement’ out of Max Verstappen
Verstappen was found guilty of impeding Mercedes driver George Russell in Q3, despite the Brit not being on a fast lap.
The Dutchman found himself stuck going slowly in a sequence of high-speed corners, which the stewards deemed necessary to penalise him for.
Speaking to RacingNews365, fellow compatriot Tom Coronel disagreed with the FIA’s decision and believes that it was part of them trying to make an example of the four-time champion.
“I think he was seriously screwed there because you just know when someone [is on] a fast lap, then you are not allowed to drive in the way.
“This is now the standard, but the stewards are also allowed 3, 2, 5 [grid drops] they can do anything, it’s about the degree of danger. Well yes, that of course makes no sense at all, it’s complete nonsense.
“This is now really a driver trying to trick another driver. So this is ordinarily not how it should be. It’s not an example but you know this is again, Max having so much reach that it’s kind of like he’s being used to make some kind of statement or something.”
How Verstappen avenged his penalisation
Verstappen was pretty furious with the role Russell played in getting him penalised for the incident and insisted that the Brit is different away from the cameras.
But it didn’t take him long to get him back, overtaking him before reaching turn one on lap one of the Qatar Grand Prix.
He went on to trounce his opposition and claim another victory in dominant fashion – his second in the last three races.
READ MORE: Five unforgettable Abu Dhabi GP with Verstappen’s controversial title clincher
It means that he will be taking some much-needed momentum into the off-season, and will be in a positive frame of mind when the 2025 car is unveiled in two months.
His main rivals are locked in an intense fight for the constructors’ championship at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this weekend, so all focus will be on that before eyes turn to next year.
