‘Verstappen punishment brings race BAN focus’ – The Steward’s verdict

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix may have been all about the Ferrari vs McLaren battle in the constructors’ championship, but once again it was Max Verstappen coming under the spotlight

The four-time Formula 1 world champion was involved in a controversial incident at turn one where the Red Bull star drove into McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, causing them both to spin and tumble down the order.

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Thankfully from a McLaren perspective, Lando Norris’ race-winning drive was still enough to see them win the world championship for the first time since 1998, despite sharing a podium with Ferrari stars Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc.

Former Formula 1 driver Martin Donnelly has previously acted as an F1 steward on behalf of the FIA and has given his views to GPFans on the incident and other big calls made at the Yas Marina season finale as well as speaking on the general outlook of the F1 landscape.

Verstappen punishment fair after crazy lunge

For a driver to go out, especially a four-time world champion, and drive into that first corner with nothing to gain was irresponsible.

The race was about Ferrari and McLaren for the constructors' championship. Verstappen didn't need to put his nose in. He went into that corner too quick. He couldn't handle the inside line and ran into Piastri on the exit and spun them both round.

I think the penalty Verstappen got of 10 seconds didn't fit the crime, but the additional punishment of two penalty points did. You don't win a race on the first lap. You lose a race on the first lap and that's exactly what happened to Verstappen and Piastri.

It was massively unfair on McLaren because all of a sudden, their race hung on Norris not making any mistakes or suffering mechanical misfortune. If I was the steward I would have thrown the book at Verstappen because he needs to learn.

I think along with the 10-second penalty he got, the penalty points he picked up after the race will give him much to think about over the winter and into F1 2025.

The penalty points on his license now take him to eight overall, and that carries through into 2025 where a driver can trigger a one-race ban if he hits 12 points on a rolling 12-month basis. Verstappen therefore enters the new-season with a huge concern in regards to his race conduct.

There's always mitigating circumstances and no incident is the same as another but this move Verstappen did on Sunday was crazy.

Bottas punishment has lasting consequences

Valtteri Bottas was also reckless with his move on Nico Hulkenberg at the end of the long straight, and his hit on Hulkenberg to severely damage his left suspension was a heavy one. Bottas got off lightly by the stewards on the night, but there was less duty to act on that front given the large damage Bottas picked up forced him to retire.

However, he has also been given a grid drop of five places for his next race. While he is unlikely to race in F1 again, this is about as severe a punishment as the FIA can deliver, as this means he will be unlikely to race even as an emergency cover, given any team that would consider him for a one-off comeback would have to weigh up a grid penalty.

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Hulkenberg penalty unfortunate but correct

Hulkenberg was one of the stars of qualifying at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after posting a lap good enough for an amazing fourth place in the Haas. It's very easy to then think of his misdemeanour during the session, where he passed two cars in the tunnel section of the pit exit in a desperate attempt to gain time to put in a lap, as one where a simple warning could have sufficed.

However, the rules have to be applied as equally as possible and cannot be ignored out of any sentiment and on this occasion the three-place penalty grid drop was just about the most lenient thing the stewards could have done, especially in regards to a rule that is in place with a focus on safety for the drivers.

Time for new blood

I do feel there are certain drivers that have had their time in F1. They have made their millions and made themselves a good reputation and are now ready to go into a retirement role. We need to see fresh blood coming into it.

We've got the F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto coming in at Sauber, and we've got Jack Doohan also driving a rookie season for Alpine. These are talented stars and I think some of the old school team managers will be quite surprised to see these guys running around in the top six should their machinery allow them next season.

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