FIA made a decision after checking into the incident between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton during the Dutch GP sprint.
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton were among several drivers checked by the FIA after some rule issues during the sprint race. Verstappen’s former Red Bull teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, who was filling in for the Racing Bulls in the sprint; Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas; and Williams’ Carlos Sainz were also looked into for similar reasons.
Verstappen and Tsunoda didn’t follow some instructions from the race directors. Bottas and Sainz were involved in an incident where Sainz was found to have overtaken Bottas during the formation lap as he headed into the pit lane. However, after reviewing video footage, the stewards decided that since Sainz was starting from the pit lane, this wasn’t really a rule break, so he was just given a warning.
Verstappen and Hamilton finished sixth and seventh, earning points, but they had to wait anxiously for the FIA’s decision on these issues after the sprint. In the end, the officials decided there was no need for any penalties because further details showed the drivers acted appropriately. So, their results stayed the same.
The FIA explained, “Car 3 stopped before reaching Safety Car Line 1 and didn’t reach the grid on its own power, but because the grid was very crowded, the driver stopped safely in a spot as close as possible to the grid. No penalty was given.”
In total, six drivers, including Lance Stroll, Tsunoda, Hamilton, and Bottas, faced the same possible infraction, but none were penalized.
The top five finishers in the sprint at Zandvoort were safe from any penalties and had smooth races. George Russell took a strong win, earning eight points as he looks to boost his Championship hopes. The championship leader, Kimi Antonelli, finished fourth with five points, allowing Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris to catch up a bit by finishing second and third.
Verstappen and Hamilton got three and two points respectively since they weren’t penalized, and Pierre Gasly picked up the final point by finishing eighth.