Max Verstappen Should Have Received Grid Penalty Say Stewards

Japanese GP stewards believe that the Singapore GP officials were too lenient with penalties for Verstappen, reigniting debates on the fairness of FIA decisions.

Stewards from the Japanese Grand Prix have revealed that their counterparts from the Singapore Grand Prix might have been too lenient with penalties handed to Max Verstappen. This confession emerged during a meeting with team managers at Suzuka.

Key Takeaways:

• Stewards from the Japanese GP believe that the Singapore GP officials erred by not penalizing Verstappen with a grid drop for impeding Yuki Tsunoda and potentially another for a pit lane incident.
• Lando Norris had humorously criticized the leniency shown to Verstappen, suggesting that drivers should be more vigilant about not blocking others.
• Max Verstappen defended his pit lane actions as routine but admitted fault in obstructing Tsunoda during the Singapore GP qualifying.

Following the Singapore Grand Prix, Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft confirmed that stewards from the Japanese GP had spoken to team representatives, expressing their concerns.

"One of the stewards from the Singapore GP admitted, in a meeting with team managers at Suzuka, that Verstappen should have had a grid drop for the Yuki impeding at least, and potentially a second drop for the pit lane incident," he said during FP2 of this weekend. 

This revelation comes after McLaren's Lando Norris humorously criticized Verstappen for merely receiving a reprimand for impeding another driver during the Singapore GP qualifying. Norris emphasised the responsibility drivers have to check their mirrors and avoid blocking others. He humorously warned that he might end up blocking someone, making himself "look stupid."

Verstappen, on the other hand, defended his pit lane actions, asserting it's a common practice. However, he did admit fault in obstructing Yuki Tsunoda, attributing it to a chaotic qualifying session.

The FIA had reprimanded Verstappen for his 18-second hesitation at the pit lane exit but found no advantage was gained. Additionally, while Verstappen and Red Bull were fined for impeding Yuki Tsunoda, no further action was taken regarding the incident with Logan Sargeant.

Maybe this wasn't the correct decision by the stewards last weekend.