Max Verstappen was handed a drive-through penalty after causing a collision on the first lap of the Daytona race, part of the IMSA Global Esports Championship. The four-time Formula 1 world champion, who took part in the event with his Verstappen.Com Racing team, drove an Acura.
From third place on the grid, Max Verstappen attempted an overtake on the inside of the first corner, but crashed into the championship-leading Williams-BMW team car. Despite the damage suffered, both cars were able to return to the track. However, the Batavian received a penalty for causing the collision.
His teammate, Gustavo Ariel, took over and ultimately helped the team finish in 12th place. After the race, Verstappen said he lost control of his car and locked the tires, which led to the collision.
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“I just locked the rears a little and in this car it's very difficult to control that, so I just swerved”, he said.
“There was also the other car that I couldn't avoid, so I was unlucky. It’s my mistake.”
“Both cars were damaged, so the first stint was quite difficult. Then, we boxed (return to the pits), to take care of the car [elle était] almost completely repaired, so the rhythm was almost back.”
“I tried to overtake a driver from the back of the track, I think a GTD car, and he didn't keep his line. I think he just wanted to get out of my way, to be honest, a bit of miscommunication and I had damage again in all three laps of the relay”, concluded the four-time F1 World Champion.
