Max Verstappen was handed a five-second penalty for driving too fast just before the race resumed after the Sprint in Brazil was interrupted by the virtual safety car.
The Red Bull driver loses his 3rd place and is classified 4th between the two Ferraris (see the new ranking below).
The move means Lando Norris is now just 44 points behind Verstappen in the title fight ahead of tomorrow’s race.
“The stewards heard from the driver of car 1 (Max Verstappen), the team representative, and reviewed the positioning/marshalling system data, timing and telemetry evidence.”
“Article 56.5 states in part that ‘all cars must also be above this minimum time when the FIA light panels turn green’. The driver was 0.63 seconds below the minimum time at the end of the VSC when the FIA light panels have turned green This indicates a sporting advantage obtained within the framework of the VSC.
“The pilot explained that while he was waiting for the VSC to complete and received notification that he was below the minimum time, he attempted to correct the error but was unable to do so. when the signs turned green.”
“This is an infraction and the standard penalty is applied for the advantage gained at that time.”
| Pos. | Pilot | Car | Gap | Stops |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes MCL38 | 24 tours – 29m46.045s | 0 |
| 02 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes MCL38 | +0.593 | 0 |
| 03 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari SF-24 | +5.656 | 0 |
| 04 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB20 | +1.497 (+5 sec) | 0 |
| 05 | Carlos Sainz | Ferrari SF-24 | +7.224 | 0 |
| 06 | George Russell | Mercedes W15 | +12.475 | 0 |
| 07 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault A524 | +18.161 | 0 |
| 08 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB20 | +18.717 | 0 |
| 09 | Liam Lawson | RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01 | +20.773 | 0 |
| 10 | Alex Albon | Williams Mercedes FW46 | +24.606 | 0 |
| 11 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes W15 | +29.764 | 0 |
| 12 | Franco Colapinto | Williams Mercedes FW46 | +33.233 | 0 |
| 13 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine Renault A524 | +34.128 | 0 |
| 14 | Oliver Bearman | Haas Ferrari VF-24 | +35.507 | 0 |
| 15 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT VCARB 01 | +41.374 | 0 |
| 16 | Valtteri Bottas | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44 | +43.231 | 0 |
| 17 | Guanyu Zhou | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C44 | +54.139 | 0 |
| 18 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24 | +56.537 | 0 |
| 19 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR24 | +57.983 | 0 |
| 20 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas Ferrari VF-24 | DNF | 0 |
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