Guenther Steiner says the FIA have now set one ‘precedent’ with their Max Verstappen Spanish Grand Prix penalty

Max Verstappen was a hot topic at the end of the Spanish Grand Prix when he was issued a 10-second time penalty for a collision with George Russell.

Although he initially did not discuss the move with the media after the race, Verstappen would issue an apology for what happened on social media a day after the race.

Former Mercedes F1 boss Norbert Haug felt Verstappen missed out on apologising to Russell, after some felt he deserved further punishment for the move.

Nico Rosberg believes Verstappen should have been black flagged for the move, while former F1 team principal Guenther Steiner thinks the FIA has set an unwanted precedent when speaking on the Red Flags podcast.

Guenther Steiner outlines the unwanted precedent set by the FIA

Verstappen’s 10-second time penalty dropped him down to P10 at the chequered flag, forcing him to come away with just one point.

Steiner believes the penalty issued by the stewards was lenient, considering how premeditated the move was on Russell.

“It’s a good question for the stewards, why they didn’t disqualify him. Because you cannot do this. Now again, what did we do? We set the precedent. Next time, if somebody does the same, it’s a 10-second penalty. It’s not a disqualification,” said Steiner.

“If we are now the stewards, we should say he should get disqualified for the race. Nothing would change for him anyway. He would lose one more point. But again, you would set a precedent that you’re not allowed to do this.

“Because now if somebody is fighting for P15, and you take somebody out, you get 10 seconds and you can use that to your advantage.”

Jolyon Palmer outlines how Max Verstappen purposely crashed into George Russell

The collision with Russell put Verstappen just one point away from incurring a race ban, as he has now accumulated 11 points out of 12 points on his FIA Super Licence. Any driver that incurs 12 in a 12-month period is handed a one-race ban.

Data from Verstappen’s car after the race shows that he intentionally collided with Russell, after it was analysed by Jolyon Palmer.

The steering angle of Verstappen shows that he did not attempt to steer into Turn 5 through his normal line, while he also lifts off the brake and uses the throttle moments before the contact.

Russell did not lose any positions with the contact nor incur any damage, but the precedent will likely be discussed among teams and drivers in upcoming races.