Verstappen’s Austin penalty ‘sticks’ with steward
Date published:
February 7 2021
Steward Garry Connelly has said the decision to strip Max Verstappen of his podium finish at the 2017 US GP remains one of his toughest decisions.
The Red Bull driver pulled off what first appeared to be a fantastic overtaking manoeuvre on Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, snatching P3 and a spot on the podium from the Finn on the final lap of the United States Grand Prix in Austin.
But Verstappen was pulled from the podium ceremony and replaced by Raikkonen shortly before it started. The stewards had concluded Verstappen went off the track and gained an unfair advantage, demoting him to P4 with a five-second time penalty.