Max Verstappen’s bold conduct during the Spanish Grand Prix caused quite a stir within his team’s pit lane, as concerns arose over his potential to squander a straightforward triumph.
Max Verstappen’s audacious maneuver at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix, where he opted for a time penalty to secure the coveted fastest lap point, left his team bosses both impressed and concerned.
While Verstappen emerged victorious in the race, Red Bull’s management couldn’t help but express their reservations regarding his decision-making throughout the entire weekend.
In a display of sheer dominance, Verstappen left his rivals from Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton, and George Russell, trailing in his wake at the Spanish Grand Prix.
However, as the race drew to a close, Verstappen found himself on the receiving end of the black-and-white flag, having exceeded track limits three times, thereby raising the specter of a possible time penalty.
Undeterred by the challenges, Verstappen sought counsel from his trusted race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, regarding his pursuit of securing the fastest lap.
Exercising caution, Lambiase offered his advice, emphasizing that, “We cannot afford any risks. Don’t worry about it.”
Despite disregarding the advice, Verstappen remained undeterred and went ahead to claim the fastest lap, securing the valuable additional point.
Following this, accepting Verstappen’s unwavering determination, Lambiase emphasized the importance of keeping the car within the boundaries as they approached the finish line. Verstappen, in a nonchalant manner, simply responded, “Yeah, yeah.”
While Verstappen’s actions managed to impress certain individuals, Red Bull’s motorsport advisor, Helmut Marko, openly expressed his disapproval, acknowledging, “We didn’t want him to set the fastest lap. You just can’t stop him.”
“He already had three warnings for the track limits. You don’t really risk anything in a situation like that.
“But you can’t be angry with him.”
Backing Marko’s sentiments, Christian Horner, the team principal of Red Bull, concurred and revealed his intention to address the incident directly with Verstappen.
Emphasizing the inherent risks at stake, Horner highlighted the fact that Verstappen had already amassed three violations, with any subsequent transgression resulting in a time penalty.
“He has already had three offenses and the next one would have been a time penalty,” Horner told Sky, fearing if there had been a “Safety Car or something, it could’ve been extremely painful.”
Verstappen, on the other hand, stood by his actions and revealed that he and Marko had already shared a laugh about the incident even before the post-race press conference.
He staunchly argued that he had adhered to the track limits and had simply been determined to push for a faster lap.
“So yeah, I just had to keep it within the white lines, but this is something I think we can laugh about already.”
“They don’t know how much pace I have in the car, right, when they tell me this is the fastest lap, don’t bother, but I knew that I could do it.
“So yeah, I just had to keep it within the white lines but this is something I think we can laugh about already.
“I was laughing about it with Helmut after the race so I’m pretty sure that they’re quite happy.”
Reflecting on his violations of the track limits at Turns 5 and 10, Verstappen openly acknowledged his mistakes but chose to downplay their significance.
Elaborating on the matter, Verstappen shared that he had encountered difficulties in managing the harder tires, which made it challenging for him to stay within the track boundaries.
Nonetheless, Verstappen asserted that once he received the final warning, he took immediate measures to comply with the regulations, underlining that it was not a major concern.
With his impressive victory at the Spanish Grand Prix, Verstappen collected the maximum 26 points, further extending his lead in the Drivers’ standings to a remarkable 53 points over his teammate Sergio Perez, who secured 12 points by finishing in fourth place.
