Max Verstappen apologizes to Oscar Piastri while voicing frustration over an FIA penalty that edges him closer to suspension.
At the finish, Max Verstappen approached Oscar Piastri after the incident at the start of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The Dutchman immediately apologized to the McLaren driver but questioned the penalty imposed on him by the FIA stewards for the incident.
“The start was good, then I tried to go on the inside and quickly realized, once I committed, that the gap was closing. I wanted to try and avoid it because naturally, I didn’t want to collide with Oscar, but unfortunately, we still made contact.”
Verstappen took full responsibility for the incident.
“I’ve already apologized to Oscar. This isn’t what you want to happen, especially not with him. He’s a great guy. It happened; it’s just a bit unfortunate.”
The Red Bull Racing driver expressed frustration over team radio after serving a ten-second stop penalty. However, he refrained from elaborating further after calling the FIA stewards “stupid idiots” over the radio, adding, “Why not 20 seconds?”
Words that could earn him a summons… and another community service penalty?
“Honestly, I don’t want to talk about it. I’m just glad the season is over. For me, the most important thing is to apologize to Oscar. I had nothing to gain, nothing to lose. I went for it, and it didn’t work. And especially for him, with both of us spinning, it’s not ideal. He’s one of my friends, so I don’t want any weird feelings or anything before the break.”
While Verstappen takes responsibility for the incident, he remains baffled by the FIA’s penalties.
“I don’t understand anymore, but it’s fine, whatever. I’m not going to get upset over these things. It’s not worth wasting my time. And, yes, just a break. As I said, the most important thing for me is to apologize to Oscar. That’s it.”
In addition to a 10-second penalty, the Dutchman received two penalty points on his license, bringing his total to eight. A Grand Prix suspension looms closer!
The four-time world champion added: “Yeah, maybe I’ll reach 12 when the baby is born, so it’ll be paternity leave!”
Indeed, Verstappen’s total will only start to decrease in June 2025, after the first 11 races of the season!
- Discover More>Perez could remain as a ‘highly paid’ ambassador
- Follow us on >Facebook and >Twitter for F1 updates.
Grand Prix Suspension Looms as Verstappen Criticizes FIA Grand Prix Suspension Looms as Verstappen Criticizes FIA
