Red Bull plan highlighted which backfired for Max Verstappen

Martin Brundle believes Red Bull "did not read" Max Verstappen's time penalty in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix correctly - and potentially cost itself the win. 

Verstappen was hit with a five-second time penalty by the stewards for cutting Turn 1 at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit and gaining an advantage after Oscar Piastri had barged up the inside on the opening lap. 

Piastri would ultimately win by 2.8s after passing Verstappen through the pit-stop sequence. Red Bull did not instruct Verstappen to hand back the place so he could run in the clear air out front, and try to negate the five-second loss.

Verstappen and Christian Horner were fiercely against the penalty post-race, but Sky F1 commentator Brundle believes the usually sharp Red Bull dropped the ball.

“Nobody games the regulations as well as Max, but for the first time he gambled and lost out,” Brundle wrote in his Sky Sports F1 column. 

“Sometimes you can see incidents from different angles and debate the scenario and doubt your first impressions, but accelerating across the run-off area with relatively little steering lock had plainly given Max an unfair advantage and the lead.

“If there had been a wall, barrier or gravel trap on the outside of turn one, Max would have yielded and tucked in behind Piastri's McLaren.

"He would eventually lose the race by 2.8 seconds, and it's possible that if the team had told him to immediately hand back the position, he may have won. 

“On the other hand, he was out front in clear air, which helped protect his tyres, brakes and engine from overheating and gave him strong pace for all the first stint. Maybe it's worth taking a five-second penalty for that benefit.

“I understand they are hardwired to be so ultra-competitive, along with endlessly being convinced that they are right and everybody else is wrong. That's why they dominated so many seasons, but they didn't read this one properly and lost out.”