F1 Silverstone: Max Verstappen in the dark over controversial FIA penalty

Max Verstappen, Red Bull, FIA, Imola, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

British Grand Prix

Max Verstappen in the dark over controversial FIA penalty

Max Verstappen has spoken after an F1 penalty was handed out at Silverstone

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 8 July 2025 09:12 Updated: 11:17

Red Bull star Max Verstappen has revealed after the British Grand Prix that he was left in the dark about a controversial penalty announced by the FIA during the race.

Despite claiming pole position on Saturday, Verstappen soon lost the lead of the British GP to Oscar Piastri, who was in control of the race by the time a second safety car was deployed.

F1 HEADLINES: Penalty hidden from Max Verstappen as FIA confirm Silverstone punishment

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However, the McLaren star was investigated by the stewards for erratically braking on the restart, and handed a 10-second time penalty alongside two penalty points as a result of the infringement.

Quickly after the restart, Verstappen spun and tumbled down the order into P11 but was able to recover to fifth by the end of the grand prix.

Speaking to media including GPFans after the race, Verstappen revealed he was unaware of Piastri's penalty and was bewildered at the stewards' lack of consistency.

"I only found out after the race that he got one, no one told me during the race," he said.

"The thing is that it happened to me now a few times you know, this kind of scenario, I just find it strange that suddenly now Oscar [Piastri] is the first one to receive 10 seconds for it."

Why was Piastri's British GP penalty controversial?

Oscar Piastri was penalised at Silverstone

McLaren boss Andrea Stella believed the 10-second time penalty for Piastri was harsh, saying after the race: "We certainly gave our input to the Race Direction, especially related to the fact that we felt the Safety Car was called in relatively late."

"This didn’t give much space for the leading driver to take control of the group and go with the restarting procedure. So, we think overall the penalty was harsh… at the moment there is not much we can do, we just need to take it on the chin."

At the Canadian GP in June, Red Bull lodged a protest against George Russell and Mercedes after Verstappen accused the Brit of erratically braking under the safety car.

However, the protest was dismissed after the incident was reviewed and not referred any further to the stewards.

Verstappen was further asked if he felt Piastri's incident at Silverstone was different to Russell’s in Canada, and responded: "Clearly to the stewards, yes."

Red Bull Max Verstappen FIA Oscar Piastri British Grand Prix safety car