F1 champion Max Verstappen RAGES as Red Bull star slammed with double race penalty

Max Verstappen

Verstappen RAGES as F1 champion slammed with double race penalty

Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen is already racking up the penalties in 2025

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Sunday 19 January 2025 18:59 Updated: 19:47

Four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen has been slammed with a dramatic double race penalty this weekend after making an uncharacteristically simple mistake.

Last season, the Dutchman wrapped up the F1 2024 drivers' championship after facing fierce competition from Lando Norris, his fourth consecutive crown.

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Verstappen will be handed a new challenge with Red Bull once the 2025 season commences in March, racing alongside a new team-mate in Liam Lawson after the team opted to drop Sergio Perez at the end of last year.

Lawson ruffled feathers during his stint at the junior team as a result of his brash on-track demeanour on occasion, most notably when he flashed Perez the middle finger from behind the wheel at the Mexican racer's home grand prix.

Verstappen has similarly become known for his somewhat aggressive driving style and short temper, with there being plenty of potential for the duo to clash in their debut season as team-mates.

Liam Lawson and Max Verstappen will be team-mates at Red Bull this season

Max Verstappen was handed a bizarre penalty during the 2024 F1 season for swearing in a press conference

Verstappen's Daytona mishaps hand team major setback

Despite F1 currently enjoying a winter break, Verstappen has not shied away from continuing to race, getting behind the wheel to compete in the virtual 24 Hours of Daytona with his Team Redline this weekend.

Verstappen is well known for his love of sim racing and frequently competes with the team in endurance events, at times to the displeasure of his Red Bull F1 team.

Just last weekend, however, the 27-year-old was handed a penalty after entering the final round of the 2024-25 GTP IMSA Global Esports Championship as a wildcard.

Whilst racing the number 20 BMW M Hybrid V8 in the virtual Daytona 24 this weekend, Verstappen was hit with a penalty once again after a pitlane incident.

During the Red Bull star's stint at the wheel on Saturday night, Verstappen made the same costly mistake twice and was slapped with two 40-second penalties for driving into the pitlane unsafely.

Verstappen's mishap was caught on the event's live stream and posted to 'X', where he had been taking part in a Q&A with fans whilst taking part in the endurance race, the mistakes clearly taking their toll on the F1 superstar, who immediately exclaimed 'f***', his X-rated language clear despite the muted audio.

mad max simracing edition. he got two 40 sec penalties for unsafely entering the pitlane 🥲 pic.twitter.com/pRORTJ6TVl
— nini (@SCUDERIAFEMBOY) January 19, 2025

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

View full biography

Red Bull Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Lando Norris Sergio Perez