Niki Lauda says he can understand why Nico Rosberg was penalised for his overtake of Max Verstappen during the German Grand Prix, saying the German simply went too wide at the corner.

A poor start from Rosberg saw him drop to fourth behind the Red Bulls but he appeared to be fighting back mid-way through the race. On lap 30 he threw his Mercedes deep into the corner on the inside of Verstappen, who had to bail out across the run-off area.

Despite Rosberg protesting and telling Mercedes he applied full steering lock, onboard replays showed this was not the case until after Verstappen was running out of space. The stewards gave him a five-second penalty, which he served at his next stop.

When asked what he thought about the incident, Lauda told Sky Sports: "Honestly I think it's OK. You can interpret it that way, that he went too wide, so I understand it's a fifty-fifty decision so if that's what they decide there's nothing you can do."

To make matters worse for Rosberg, a stopwatch malfunction on the Mercedes pit wall meant he actually stayed stationary for eight seconds before the team changed his tyres. That delay dropped him behind the Red Bull drivers, forcing him to settle for fourth position -- meaning he goes into the summer break 19 points behind teammate Lewis Hamilton in the championship.

However, Lauda refused to blame just the pit stop for the result.

"We had various problems but I have to say the Red Bull's were very quicker here than I thought altogether, which is a good result for them.

"Nico lost speed on his car but not for mechanical reasons and Red Bull improved the speed, they did the right strategy and did really good."

The decision is consistent with what the stewards decided in Austria, when Rosberg went straight on at a corner and into Lewis Hamilton as they vied for the lead on the final lap. On that occasion, he was handed a ten-second time penalty. It means Rosberg has been given time penalties at three of the last four races.