F1 News
Zhou gets this penalty after incident with Verstappen
- Tygo Bekkema
Zhou Guanyu gets a three-place grid penalty for impeding Max Verstappen. The Chinese driver was in the Dutch driver's way during a qualifying lap in Q1 and will now be charged for that. Zhou qualified nineteenth and thus will start the race twentieth.
The reading of the FIA, the motorsport federation, is as follows: "Car number 24 (Zhou) stayed on the racing line when car number 1 (Verstappen) was closing in despite not going at full speed. Car 1 had to lift off the throttle. The info [from the team] was not accurate enough, but it is the driver's responsibility not to unnecessarily impede others."
The moment with Zhou didn't bother Verstappen. The Dutchman rushed impressively to pole position and was no less than six tenths faster than his main rivals. Due to a grid penalty caused by an engine change, Verstappen will start 11th tomorrow.