Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri have both been handed warnings after failing to follow the instructions of FIA race director Rui Marques during the final practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix. Following the conclusion of the session, both drivers were summoned to the stewards regarding their use of the pit lane. In his notes, Marques wrote that upon leaving the garage, a car should make its way to the running lane - or fast lane - of the pit lane and blend into the queue, with any car using the slow lane to the inside being deemed to have not followed the instruction. In Piastri's case, it was noted that he "overtook several cars whilst remaining in the working lane, however, it was noted that a review video from Car 4 (NOR) showed that due to the location of the McLaren garage, it was logical to drive directly from the garage to the practice start area. "The stewards also note that the driver of Car 81 did, in fact, perform a genuine practice start and tried to rejoin in the position he would have been in, had he been in the fast lane." With regard to Verstappen, a stewards' report read: "Car 1 overtook a significant number of cars whilst traversing the working lane en route to the practice start area, after having momentarily been in the fast lane. "The stewards note that the driver of Car 1 did perform a genuine practice start and rejoined after all the cars in the fast lane had passed." It was the third and fourth example of such an incident after Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Lance Stroll in his Aston Martin also performed similar manoeuvres during Friday practice. Both drivers and teams were also warned. The FIA, however, has made clear it may not tolerate such flouting of the rules in future. In both instances surrounding Verstappen and Piastri, it additionally noted: "In relation to the general subject of overtaking in the pit lane, the fact that a warning was issued for the four cases this weekend is not to be taken as a precedent and the stewards note that future breaches of pit lane procedures may involve a sporting penalty."
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