Max Verstappen has defended the entire Formula 1 field following Carlos Sainz's "super silly" fine for crossing the circuit during qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix.
Sainz received a €25,000 fine for crossing the circuit after crashing in the opening minutes of Q3, although half of the fine has been suspended for the rest of the season.
The Ferrari driver crashed at the final corner and was found by the FIA to be in breach of Article 26.7 b) of the sporting regulations that state he was not allowed to be on the track on foot without permission.
Verstappen, of course, received a punishment of his own during the Singapore GP for swearing during the official FIA drivers' press conference.
The three-time F1 champion now has an obligation to complete a day's public service, a punishment Lewis Hamilton described as "a joke".
Not only was Verstappen frustrated at his own penalty he also fervently disagreed with the one imposed on Sainz.
Verstappen felt Sainz was putting any driver or himself at risk by crossing the circuit as red flags were being shown.
Verstappen has since defended the entire grid as he believes they all know what they are doing.
"Carlos got a fine for crossing the track as well, right?" Verstappen questioned select media including RacingNews365.
"I mean, what are we talking about? It's a red flag. You know, cars are coming in. I think it's quite safe and he knows what he's doing."
Insisting that all drivers "are not stupid", he added: "Again, like when I saw it, even getting noted, these kinds of things are just for me, super silly."
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding, as they look back on last weekend's Singapore Grand Prix. Max Verstappen's punishment for swearing and Daniel Ricciardo's likely last F1 race are major talking points.
Rather watch the podcast? Then click here!
Most read
In this article
Join the conversation!