Max Verstappen’s pole position in the Austrian GP hung in the balance for a few hours after the celebrations at the closed park of the Red Bull Ring. The reigning two-time world champion came under investigation after qualifying for a possible impediment that occurred in Q1 to the detriment of Magnussen’s Haas, risking a three-place penalty on the starting grid of the race. A fact of which the two Ferrari drivers, Leclerc in Monaco (compromising the podium in the home Grand Prix) and Sainz in Montreal, among others, had been indicted in the previous rounds. However, the Dutchman from Red Bull was acquitted and therefore keeps the start from the first box for Sunday’s race, the fourth in a row and the sixth of the season. He was hoping for a Ferrari penalty to be able to return to pole position with Leclerc and in a double all-red front row together with Sainz, instead the two SF-23s remain second and third in the grid.
What happened and why Verstappen wasn’t penalized
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The offending episode dates back to Q1, when Verstappen found himself in front of Magnussen exiting turn 1, with the Dane suffering a slight deceleration shortly after starting the flying lap to avoid the Red Bull driver, who in the meantime was trying to move away from the other direction. The Haas driver subsequently finished penultimate and was eliminated.
After the interview with the management, the stewards judged the presence of the Dutchman in front of the Haas number 20 as not influential on the slowdown of the Dane’s car, thus exonerating the championship leader. Furthermore, that Magnussen lap was subsequently canceled for exceeding the track limits, even if the jury did not take this factor into consideration, as stated in the official statement.
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