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No penalty for Verstappen after incident with Magnussen: pole stands
- GPblog.com
Max Verstappen will definitely start the Austrian Grand Prix from pole. The stewards have decided that the Dutchman will not receive a penalty for an incident with Kevin Magnussen in Q1. Verstappen allegedly hindered the Dane during his flying lap. Magnussen himself, incidentally, immediately announced that being 'hold up' Verstappen had no impact on his result, as the Haas driver had exceeded the track limits.
Verstappen had to report to the stewards at 20:00 to give an explanation. Fifteen minutes later, he left the room where the stewards were sitting with Jonathan Wheatley, Red Bull Racing's sporting director. Not long after, the stewards announced that no punishment followed.
Statement from the stewards
The stewards said it hadn't mattered that Magnussen would lose his time because he had gone outside the track limits. It did play a role, however, that the Haas driver had slightly hit the curb in turn 1, so that the acceleration of his car was slightly different. As a result, Magnussen drove slower mini-sectors. Moreover, Magnussen could have done more to avoid the incident with Verstappen.
