Max Verstappen has been handed penalty points alongside the time penalty he received for his collision with Lewis Hamilton in the Brazilian Grand Prix. After a Safety Car had been called following a first-lap collision between Kevin Magnussen and Daniel Ricciardo, Verstappen and Hamilton went head-to-head at the race restart on Lap 7. The pair made contact and both slipped backwards in the order, though Hamilton was able to work his way back towards the front of the pack. Reviewing the incident, the stewards found Verstappen to be at fault and gave him a five-second time penalty. The Red Bull driver was also hit with two penalty points, bringing his total in a 12-month period to seven. If a driver receives 12 points within the 12-month timeframe, they are given a race ban. However, some of Verstappen's points will soon expire, given that they were handed out at the Qatar and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix towards the end of 2021.
Stewards explain verdict
In a document confirming their verdict, the stewards detailed their reasons for finding Verstappen to be at fault in his incident with Hamilton. "The stewards determined that Verstappen attempted to pass Hamilton on the outside of Turn 1 by braking very late," the verdict reads. "He did not complete the pass in Turn 1 and his excess speed compromised his entry into Turn 2, at which point he made contact with Hamilton. "While the stewards recognise that Hamilton could possibly have given a little more room at the apex of Turn 2, the stewards determined that Verstappen was predominantly at fault."
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