McLaren's Brown Praises Stewards’ Decision on Verstappen

Zak Brown lauds the FIA for penalising Verstappen, calling for cleaner racing and commending the stewards’ actions over the weekend.

Zak Brown, the McLaren F1 Team Principal, reacted swiftly, commending the FIA for penalising Max Verstappen twice for his maneuvers on Lando Norris after the start.

Is a 20-second penalty too harsh? Not necessarily, according to him.

“The penalties probably weren’t severe enough. It’s becoming ridiculous, so I applaud the FIA stewards. Enough is enough. We want clean racing and to move forward. Lando drove very well, and kudos to Carlos, who had an excellent race.”

Is he considering pushing for a harsher sanction with an appeal?

“I think the stewards handled it with the penalties, so there’s nothing more for us to do. They did a good job this weekend.”

The downside for Brown is that Ferrari continues its remarkable comeback towards the top of the championship. McLaren now holds just a 29-point lead over Ferrari, who have overtaken Red Bull for second place.

“It’s much closer than I’d like, but it’s great for Formula 1. It’s fantastic to see Ferrari and McLaren battling for a world title, and you can’t rule out Red Bull, who aren’t far behind. It’s going to be an exciting end to the season.”