F1 champion Max Verstappen issues verdict on controversial British Grand Prix penalty

Red Bull F1 star and reigning world champion Max Verstappen has issued his verdict on a controversial penalty dished out during Sunday's British Grand Prix.

McLaren star Oscar Piastri looked to be in control of the race at Silverstone until he was hit with a 10-second time penalty for driving erratically under safety car conditions with Verstappen behind, which proved costly.

His teammate and championship rival Lando Norris went on to win the race, closing the gap to Piastri in the drivers' standings to just eight points

Speaking to the media, including GPFans, after the race, Verstappen was bewildered at the stewards' lack of consistency after failing to punish George Russell for what he feels was a similar incident in Canada.

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

“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.”

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Oscar Piastri handed controversial penalty

McLaren boss Andrea believed that the 10-second time penalty for Piastri was harsh, and said 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 protested 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.”

READ MORE: F1 champ Max Verstappen tipped for Red Bull exit ahead of 2026

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