McLaren’s Lando Norris clinched victory in Saturday’s Formula 1 sprint race at the Brazilian Grand Prix, narrowing his gap to championship leader Max Verstappen, who was handed a penalty for Virtual Safety Car infringement according to the Stewarts.
Piastri, who had started from the pole, led the race until two laps from the end when he was overtaken by Norris after Red Bull’s Verstappen passed Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for third and posed a growing threat. The lead change occurred just before a virtual safety car (VSC) created a tense final lap, with Australian Piastri finishing 0.593 seconds behind Norris in a McLaren one-two finish.
Verstappen and Leclerc engaged in an intense fight for third place until the Red Bull driver overtook on lap 18 of the 24-lap race. Shortly after, Nico Hulkenberg’s smoldering Haas brought out the virtual safety car when he stopped by the side of the track on lap 21. The Dutchman came side by side with Piastri during the VSC, which the Stewarts considered unsafe, and slashed 5 seconds on his sprint timing.
“The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 1 (Max Verstappen), team representative and reviewed positioning/marshaling system data, timing, telemetry evidence,” the FIA verdict read.
“Article 56.5 states in part ‘All cars must also be above this minimum time when the FIA light panels change to green. The driver was 0.63 seconds below the minimum time at the VSC end when the FIA light panels changed to green. This indicates a sporting advantage gained under VSC.”
The reigning champion finished in third place, 0.904 seconds behind, but his penalty meant he was relegated to 4th position behind Leclerc. The three-time champion also received an additional penalty point on his super license, bringing his total to seven over the past 12 months. Any driver accumulating 12 points within a year faces a one-race suspension.
BREAKING: Max Verstappen receives a five-second time penalty for infringing Virtual Safety Car rules during #F1Sprint
Verstappen, who finished third, drops to fourth place#F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/sQHUFlmETl
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 2, 2024
This marked the first time this season that Verstappen has been defeated in a sprint race, and he also faces a five-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race after exceeding his engine allocation. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz finished fifth, followed by George Russell in sixth for Mercedes, and Pierre Gasly in seventh for Alpine. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez claimed the final point in eighth, finishing just ahead of teammate Liam Lawson.
The result meant Norris reduced Verstappen’s lead at the top to 44 points ahead of Sunday’s main event while McLaren extended their lead over Ferrari to 34 points in the constructors’ standings, adding five points to their advantage.
Read More: Brazilian GP Qualifying Postponed, What Happens in Case No Qualifying Takes Place?
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
