Max Verstappen escaped a penalty following an inquiry by the stewards at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The current Formula 1 champion faced scrutiny after allegedly being released unsafely during FP2 in Budapest.
Verstappen was seen discarding a Red Bull towel from his car onto the track during the session, reminiscent of a previous incident involving Lando Norris at the Miami Grand Prix. McLaren and Norris were let off the hook that day after Norris removed tools and an LED torch from his cockpit. Verstappen received only a warning from the F1 stewards.
In a statement, it was explained that the towel had slipped from Verstappen’s lap in the garage, unnoticed by the team, and he attempted to dispose of it as far from the car and track as possible. The stewards acknowledged the potential risk the towel posed and deemed the car was released in an unsafe state but considered the situation less severe than if a hard object had been left in the cockpit, resulting in a warning to the team.
Verstappen clarified that he tried to safely remove the towel, ensuring it did not pose a danger while driving. He emphasized the stewards’ understanding of the situation.
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