FIA receive time criticism after Max Verstappen 'party trick'

Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok has criticised the FIA for taking two hours and 39 minutes to explain why Max Verstappen was penalised, something he has described as "extraordinarily" lengthy.

The reigning F1 champion received a five-second time penalty following a Turn 1 incident on the opening lap of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix with Oscar Piastri whilst jostling for the lead. Verstappen was punished for leaving the circuit and gaining an advantage. 

The Red Bull driver felt Piastri had forced him off the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, although the stewards explained that the McLaren driver had the right to space. 

It is not the first time Verstappen has cut across a corner whilst battling for position, with Chandhok calling it the Dutchman's "party trick".

"You look at these aggressive racing drivers in terms of wheel-to-wheel racing, they've all got a party trick, haven't they?" Chandhok said on Sky F1's podcast. 

"Max's party trick tends to be, I'm just going to steam into the apex, and then everyone has to sort it out, and that's just what I'm doing. 

"[Michael] Schumacher's trick used to be, I'm just going to swerve across on the straight. [Ayrton] Senna's used to be, I'm just going to turn across, and everyone else needs to back out of it. These are the three examples.

"I could think of other drivers who were particularly strong and aggressive in the wheel-to-wheel combat. So, yeah, I think Max tried it. He had a go."

Verstappen penalty verdict

As the incident took place on the first lap, it was judged as a mitigating circumstance by the FIA. This saw Verstappen's penalty reduced from 10 to five seconds. 

Verstappen served his penalty at his only pit-stop, which cost the 27-year-old victory. It was not until almost three hours after the race that the reasoning for the punishment was explained, a time duration Chandhok disapproved of.

Instead, he argued the FIA should have informed Red Bull to order Verstappen to return the position, rather than receive a penalty, despite it not being the responsibility of the governing body.

"I think the most straightforward thing would have been for the stewards to just tell him to give the place back," revealed Chandhok. 

"Instead of getting involved with whether it should have been five or 10 seconds, just ask him to give the place back. Then, he's got a race in the dirty air, it's just a normal race. 

So I am a bit surprised that, A: they didn't ask them [Red Bull] to do that, [and] B: it took two hours and 39 minutes for us to receive the email explaining why they've been penalised. It's an extraordinarily long time, right? 

"It's a lap one, turn one incident. Obviously, a penalty was notified, we knew what it was, but it took a very long time to get an explanation."