Max Verstappen closing in on F1 race ban after move Martin Brundle said he ‘didn’t need to do’ in Abu Dhabi GP

Max Verstappen is now closing in on a one-race ban after being handed a penalty by the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix stewards for a collision with Oscar Piastri.

Piastri and Verstappen ran wheel-to-wheel into Turn 1 at the start and the Red Bull driver collided with the left side of the McLaren, pitching both of them around and causing Piastri to drop to the back of the pack.

Verstappen recovered to 11th place in the opening laps, however, the stewards investigated the incident and handed the Dutchman with a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision.

The stewards felt that Verstappen was not far enough alongside Piastri to make the move, deeming him wholly at fault for the collision. The Red Bull driver went on to finish in P6 after struggling with his tyres for most of the race.

Martin Brundle reacted to the incident while commentating on the race for Sky Sports F1 (08/12 1:48pm), while there are other implications for Verstappen.

Martin Brundle brands Max Verstappen move ‘late’ in Abu Dhabi GP

The incident had implications on McLaren’s attempt to win the Constructors’ Championship, as it meant Lando Norris had to win the race to keep their hopes alive after Charles Leclerc passed 11 cars on the opening laps and later made his way into the top three.

Brundle felt that while Piastri opened up the door to Verstappen, the Red Bull left it too late to overtake Piastri and deserved a penalty.

Brundle: “Piastri could’ve given him a touch more space, but would have he known he was there? It was a late lunge. Max really didn’t need to do that.

Croft: “When he says he was all the way up, he wasn’t…”

Brundle: “It was such a tight line, Verstappen also understeered. I mean, Piastri did open some space up.”

Max Verstappen risks one-race ban in opening races of 2025

Along with the in-race time penalty the stewards also handed Verstappen two penalty points on his FIA super licence, which puts him four away from a one-race ban.

Drivers are not allowed to accrue more than 12 points in a 12-month period, with Kevin Magnussen falling foul of this earlier in the season when he missed the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Points expire after 12 months, but Verstappen’s next opportunity to have points wiped will not be until June 2025.

This means the opening races of the 2025 season will need to be conducted without any major penalties, as it could result in a one-race ban for the Dutchman.