Max Verstappen: Penalty for Charles Leclerc overtake won't change my race

Austrian GP

Verstappen: Austria penalty won't change my race

He won in Austria.

Martin Macdonald

Sunday 30 June 2019 17:59

Max Verstappen says receiving a penalty for the overtaking incident on Charles Leclerc which ultimately won him the Austrian Grand Prix would not change the fact he performed so well.

With only a couple of laps remaining, Verstappen burst beyond Leclerc after failing to do so in the two laps previous, with the cars touching slightly round a corner as the former went through to take P1.

The stewards are yet to make a decision on whether the incident merits a penalty for Verstappen, but for him, there is no way it should be given to Red Bull.

“It doesn't change my race, does it?,” he said of the potential penalty.

“So, I had a great race, but I don't think we should get a penalty for that.

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“He has to wait a bit. I never opened the steering wheel. I am in front, but he just tried to go round the outside which is not possible.”

The victory for Verstappen was all the more remarkable considering he was overtaken by several drivers off the starting line after appearing to suffer an engine stall.