Red Bull make final decision on Max Verstappen penalty protest

Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri came tantalisingly close to blows at the opening corner of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. A poor start for the Red Bull driver allowed the Australian alongside heading into Turn 1. Crucially, the McLaren had the inside line and was able to claim the corner, pushing Verstappen wide and onto the run-off area. He subsequently rejoined ahead and kept hold of the lead. The Milton Keynes team and the four-time F1 drivers' champion wholeheartedly believed the Dutchman was within his right to retain his position, but the stewards felt different and sided with Piastri and McLaren who wanted the place back, handing down a race-defining five-second time penalty. That call was based on telemetry and video evidence that showed Verstappen would not have made the corner anyway, thus nullifying his right to complain. After the 27-year-old reached the chequered flag 2.8 second adrift of the new championship leader, Helmut Marko and Christian Horner indicated the team would not file a right of review protest to challenge the results of the race. This was on the grounds that there was no new evidence available for the FIA to address - a key stipulation of satisfying the right of review criteria. However, the six-time constructors' champions has now definitively decided not to contest the results, according to various reports, on the grounds that is unlikely to succeed in this case.