Max Verstappen received a five-second time penalty for violating the pit lane exit boundary during the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix, yet he still secured his fifth-place finish because Charles Leclerc incurred an even more substantial penalty.
Having fallen back in the standings following a spin at the race’s outset, Verstappen executed an early pit stop on the sixth lap, taking advantage of a timely safety car deployment triggered by distinct incidents involving Isack Hadjar and Pierre Gasly.
However, during this manoeuvre, the four-time world champion drove over the white line at the pit exit, an action that was later scrutinised post-race as stewards examined additional video evidence.
Fresh camera perspectives verified that Verstappen indeed transgressed the line, resulting in a five-second penalty being applied to his race time.
“At the time of the occurrence, available video material was insufficient to conclusively determine if a rule violation took place,” the race stewards elaborated. “Consequently, we opted to review the incident following the race, hoping to acquire improved video evidence, potentially from different viewpoints. This proved successful. The newly acquired angles offered clearer perspectives of both the pit exit line and the specific incident.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
“The driver of vehicle number 3 stated that he was exiting the pit lane and returning to the track under a full course yellow flag. The Stewards concluded that the outer edge of the front left tire did indeed move beyond the solid white pit exit line, contravening Appendix L, Chapter IV, Article 6 c) of the International Sporting Code. Considering the type of infringement, the Stewards chose to apply a 5-second penalty.”
Verstappen barely managed to snatch fifth position from Ferrari’s Leclerc as they exited the last turn, yet he will keep fifth place as Leclerc received a more significant 20-second penalty for cutting multiple corners during the final lap after sustaining damage to his Ferrari.
Leclerc’s position was downgraded to eighth, placing him behind his teammate Lewis Hamilton and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto.
