Max Verstappen has been given a three-place grid penalty for failing to slow for yellow flags.

The stewards ruled Verstappen did not reduce his speed sufficiently for a single waved yellow flag at the end of Q2 after Sergey Sirotkin spun.

The Red Bull driver was also given two penalty points on his licence which moves him to a total of seven for the current 12-month period.

This is Vertappen’s third grid penalty of the weekend. He has already been sent to the back of the grid for a power unit change and received a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change.

Stewards’ verdict

The stewards reviewed video and telemetry evidence, heard from the driver of car 33 (Max Verstappen) and the team representative. The driver admitted seeing the yellow flag and stated that he steered to the left to avoid the stationary car (number 35). However, the regulation is very clear and states ‘It must be evident that a driver has reduced speed’. The telemetry showed that the driver maintained full throttle and did not apply any braking. In his defence the driver expressed the view that he felt he had acted safely. The stewards noted that the driver understood the error in not slowing and acknowledged that in future he will comply with the regulations. However in view of the emphasis now placed on compliance with yellow flag regulations, in the interests of safety, the stewards have applied the usual penalty for this offence. Competitors are reminded that they have the right to appeal the decisions of the stewards (with the exception of those referred to in Article 12.2.4 of the FIA International Sporting Code), in accordance with Article 15 of the FIA International Sporting Code and Article 9.1.1 of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules, within the applicable time limits.

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2018 F1 season