Source: Official Team Post via X
Why Verstappen Escaped a Penalty After Singapore Sprint Qualifying Incident
Max Verstappen faced scrutiny for overtaking under yellow flags during Sprint Qualifying in Singapore. However, the stewards decided not to penalize him due to mitigating circumstances.
Max Verstappen found himself in the spotlight after Sprint Qualifying at the Singapore Grand Prix, but not for the usual reasons. Despite securing pole position for the Sprint, the Red Bull driver was summoned by the stewards over a potential yellow flag infringement during SQ1. The incident, involving an overtake of Lewis Hamilton under yellow flags, was investigated post-session.
The yellow flags were deployed after Sergio Perez of Cadillac collided with the barriers, leading to Verstappen overtaking Hamilton's Ferrari. Hamilton promptly reported the maneuver, saying, “Max overtook me under yellow flags.” Verstappen, however, believed he had completed the overtake before the yellow flags but erred on the side of caution by letting Hamilton back through.
A closer look at the incident, as detailed in the stewards' report, revealed that as Verstappen exited Turn 7 on a push lap, a single yellow flag was displayed. Hamilton, ahead of Verstappen, had been alerted to the latter's approach. The report noted that Hamilton, after exiting Turn 7, slowed and moved off the racing line, which allowed Verstappen to pass him before Turn 8 within the yellow flag sector. However, Verstappen abandoned his push lap shortly thereafter.
Verstappen explained he was on the throttle exiting Turn 7 but lifted as soon as he saw the yellow flag. Telemetry confirmed that within about 40 meters of entering the yellow flag zone, he had fully lifted off the throttle. Meanwhile, Hamilton was braking and had slowed to under 60 km/h when Verstappen overtook.
The stewards concluded that Verstappen reacted appropriately to the yellow flag, acknowledging he had breached the regulation but that it was an "unfortunate consequence of the significant closing speed differential." The report mentioned that Verstappen's speed was significantly reduced compared to another push lap in the session, and avoiding the overtake would have required heavy braking, potentially creating an unsafe situation.
Thus, Verstappen was not penalized, as the stewards deemed the circumstances surrounding the overtake justifiable. This decision allows Verstappen to maintain his pole position for Saturday's Sprint at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, where he'll start ahead of Mercedes' George Russell and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.