Sao Paulo Grand Prix: Max Verstappen loses third place in sprint due to virtual safety car penalty at Interlagos | F1 News

Max Verstappen lost his third place in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix sprint due to a virtual safety car violation while racing Oscar Piastri.

Verstappen was driving too fast when a late VSC ended on the final lap of a dramatic Interlagos sprint won by Lando Norris, so he was given a five-second penalty, dropping him to fourth behind Charles Leclerc.

The Dutchman was also handed a penalty point, moving him seven points out of the 12-point limit on his super license over a 12-month period.

It means Verstappen, who also received a five-place penalty for Sunday’s race due to the new engine, is now 44 points ahead of Norris in the Drivers’ Championship with four races plus one sprint remaining in the 2024 season.

After marshals steered Nico Hulkenberg’s car out of the danger zone, Verstappen tried to pre-empt the green flag to pass Piastri as they battled for second place, with both drivers accelerating into turn four.

Once the virtual safety car had fully completed, Verstappen braked and did not pass Piastri, but was under the delta when the race restarted under green flag conditions.

After hearing from Verstappen, the Red Bull team spokesman, and reviewing telemetry and timing, the stewards said in a statement: “Article 56.5 reads in part: ‘All cars must also pass this minimum time for the FIA ​​light bars to turn green.’ “At the end of the VSC the driver was 0.63 seconds behind the minimum time when the FIA ​​light bars changed to green.

“This indicates the athletic advantage gained by using VSC. The driver explained that because he was waiting for the VSC to finish and was notified that his time was below the minimum, he attempted to correct the error but was unable to do so by the time the panels turned green.

“This is a violation and the standard penalty will apply for an advantage gained at this point.

“This resulted in the driver ending up ahead of where he was at the start of the VSC, rather than as a result of the crash of the car in front.”

What was Verstappen trying to do?

Sky Sports F1’s Bernie Collins immediately after Verstappen was flagged for a VSC violation:

“When we see VSC running out, drivers understand it too. They don’t know exactly when it will end.

“They have to question the cockpit. We know it’s five to 10 seconds.”

“They try to reach zero on the dashboard when it runs out. We saw him accelerating down the straight, trying to beat the green light, but maybe he went too early.”

Sky Sports commentator Nigel Chiu in Sao Paulo:

“Anyone who plays Formula 1 knows that when VSC ends, you need to accelerate and get the delta as close to zero as possible.

“But when you do that, it’s very easy to get hit by a delta and therefore get a fine.

“Imagine that you are driving a car. If you have to slow down and then speed up when you’re allowed to accelerate again, it will be slower than someone who has been speeding up for a few seconds and can keep their foot on the gas pedal when you get back to green.”

Schedule for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1

Saturday, November 2
17:00: Preparation for qualifying in Sao Paulo.
18:00: Qualifying for the São Paulo Grand Prix.
8:00 p.m.: Ted’s Qualification Notebook.

Sunday, November 3
15:30: Grand Prix on Sunday: preparation for the Grand Prix of Sao Paulo.
17:00: GRAND PRIX OF SAO PAULO.
19:00: Checkered flag: São Paulo Grand Prix reaction
20:00: Ted’s Notebook.

The Formula 1 triple header in America concludes this weekend with the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with every session broadcast on Sky Sports F1. Watch every Formula 1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month membership – no contract, cancel anytime.