Former F1 boss gives DRIVE-THROUGH Verstappen penalty verdict

A former Formula 1 team owner has issued his verdict on Max Verstappen's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix penalty, suggesting he should have been punished more harshly.

Verstappen was involved in a fierce battle with championship rival Oscar Piastri at the start of the race, and managed to stay ahead of the Australian after a turn one scuffle, but only by heading off-track in the process.

The Dutchman did not give the position back, causing the stewards to intervene, handing Verstappen a five-second time penalty, which all but took him out of contention for the race victory.

Piastri was duly able to get past Verstappen when he took the penalty at his pit stop, and the Australian didn't look back, claiming his third victory of the season to climb to the top of the championship standings.

Now, Giancarlo Minardi, founder and director of the old Minardi team that raced in F1 between 1985-2005, has suggested that Verstappen's penalty was not harsh enough.

"Always present is Verstappen, the author of an extraordinary pole position after the difficult weekend in Bahrain. However, I do not agree with the penalty," Minardi wrote on his website.

"I believe that five [seconds] are too few considering the advantage obtained by his action and also because they came at the start of the race."

Should Verstappen have been given a stronger penalty?

An official FIA document released following the race confirmed that Verstappen's penalty had been downgraded due to mitigating factors, with the sport's governing body confirming why he was not given a 10-second penalty as Liam Lawson was for a similar incident.

Verstappen was able to recover from his penalty and finished a very handy second, ensuring he has been able to stay in touch with McLaren drivers Piastri and Lando Norris in the championship standings.

Minardi believes that a drive-through penalty for Verstappen would have been more fitting, as it would have dropped him behind a number of drivers, meaning he would have had a lot of ground to make up on the leaders.

"He had plenty of time to recover - crossing the finish line in second place, little more than two [seconds] from the Australian, a drive-through would have been more consistent," Minardi continued.

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