Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has admitted he was completely unaware of a controversial penalty handed out to Oscar Piastri during the British Grand Prix, revealing his frustration with the FIA’s decision-making.
Verstappen, who secured pole position on Saturday, quickly lost the lead to McLaren’s Piastri. The Australian appeared to be in command until a second safety car was deployed. During the restart, Piastri was investigated for braking erratically and was handed a 10-second time penalty along with two penalty points.
The chaotic restart affected Verstappen, who spun and dropped to 11th place before fighting back to finish fifth. However, after the race, Verstappen told media, including GPFans, that he was not informed of Piastri’s penalty during the race and questioned the consistency of stewarding.
“I only found out after the race that he got penalized — no one told me during the race,” Verstappen said.
“It’s happened to me a few times in similar situations. I just find it odd that Oscar is suddenly the first to get a 10-second penalty for it.”
Verstappen’s remarks add to the ongoing discussion around the FIA’s handling of incidents and the need for clearer, more consistent enforcement of race regulations. With the title fight intensifying, the Dutch driver is hoping for greater clarity from officials moving forward.
