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Verstappen and Sainz to stewards Qatar

Verstappen and Sainz must report to stewards after incident in Qatar

6 October 2023 at 20:00
Last update 6 October 2023 at 20:30
  • Kada Sarkozi
  • Editor

Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz must report to the FIA stewards after an incident in qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix. Sainz is suspected of 'driving erratically' in Q2, after which Verstappen almost hit the Ferrari driver.

Verstappen and Sainz to stewards

Neither driver was on a fast lap at the time the incident occurred. Sainz was on a slow lap while Verstappen was working on his out-lap. He wanted to overtake the Spaniard, but Sainz in turn defended firmly against his former Toro Rosso teammate's overtaking attempts.

Verstappen wondered aloud via board radio why Sainz was defending so hard on a slow lap, stating that he almost hit the Ferrari driver. Like Sainz, the Red Bull Racing driver is expected at the stewards at 22:00 local time, where he will be allowed to tell his side of the story.

Hamilton also to the stewards

Lewis Hamilton, Yuki Tsunoda, Liam Lawson and Oscar Piastri are also subject to investigation after the session. They allegedly failed to follow race control instructions regarding the maximum lap time in Q1.