Karun Chandhok shares the ‘fascinating’ Red Bull pit wall reaction to Max Verstappen’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix penalty

Max Verstappen was denied a second victory in 2025 after being penalised by the stewards in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The Dutchman started the race from pole, but Oscar Piastri had a better start and drew alongside him on the run down into the first corner, causing the Red Bull driver to take to the escape road and keep first place.

After an investigation by the stewards, Verstappen was deemed to have left the track and gained an advantage and was handed a five-second time penalty. F1 Fans felt Verstappen should have learned a lesson from the incident, having done something similar last year to Lando Norris.

Verstappen served this at his next pit stop, although this would lose him too much time to Piastri who pitted a couple of laps earlier into clean air and took the lead of the race.

Reacting to the penalty on the pit wall, Karun Chandhok noticed something when commentating for Sky Sports F1.

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Red Bull team ‘shaking their heads’ at Max Verstappen penalty

Verstappen’s five-second time penalty cost him at a crucial moment in the race, as it enabled Piastri to take the lead comfortably without worrying about the pit stop deficit.

It was clear that Verstappen felt he was in the right when he retorted over the team radio that he felt there was not enough space for him to commit to the corner.

Red Bull also felt the penalty was harsh, although they quickly managed to calculate what the potential ramifications it would have on their race, according to Karun Chandhok.

“It is a fascinating situation. I could see the Red Bull team shaking their heads when that five-second time penalty was announced. But they quickly went into calculation mode to see what impact that would have,” said Chandhok.

Max Verstappen could face further punishment from the stewards

Verstappen could face further punishment from the stewards, as they could issue points on his FIA Super Licence as part of the penalty.

Drivers are only allowed to accrue 12 penalty points in a 12 month period and Verstappen started the 2025 season with eight points.

Depending on whether the stewards decide to issue points, he could be edging closer to the maximum allowed.

This would trigger an automatic one-race ban for accruing the 12 points if he does so before the first points get wiped in June later this season.