F1 News
Brundle dubs Verstappen win in Austria "a victory for F1"
- Nicolás Quarles van Ufford
In his usual post-race weekend column, long-time Sky Sports F1 pundit Martin Brundle has hailed the stewards' decision to not penalise Max Verstappen for his move on Charles Leclerc as "a victory for common sense and for F1", as the Dutchman claimed his first win of the season.
In what has been hailed as the best Formula 1 race in recent history, Verstappen dropped down as far as eighth after a nightmare start but fought his way back up the grid, before eventually landing a race-winning overtake on Leclerc three laps before the checkered flag.
Said move was a topic of discussion, as the two 21-year-olds banged wheels when Verstappen stuck the move, with some calling for a penalty.
After three hours, the stewards finally decided to take no further action on the overtake, meaning Verstappen will keep his win. A big relief, writes Brundle.
"I am so relieved that the Stewards declared 'no further action' after reviewing the Turn Three overtake and contact between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc," he revealed in his column.
"It was a victory for common sense and F1.
"I feel for Ferrari, they could have won three races this season by now, but they have yet to taste the victory champagne.
"Ferrari have been on the losing end of two Stewards' enquiries in three races, and whilst obviously disappointed and supporting their man, they have ultimately spoken like true racers for the good of the sport.
"I salute them and will cheer even harder when they next win, particularly when Leclerc gets his first victory. What goes around comes around."
Going back to the penalty that wasn't given for Verstappen, Brundle can't help but wonder what impact this could've had if it would have been given, on both the sport in itself as well as the teams that participate in it.
"As I drove to the airport post-race whilst awaiting news of the Stewards' decision, I wondered how next time I could stand in front of a camera on the grid, with conviction and integrity, and effectively say 'don't go anywhere, give us a few hours of your precious weekend, you must watch this great race with us' if a penalty was applied and Verstappen denied a great and well-deserved victory.
"My mind questioned where this would leave the likes of Honda, winning for the first time since 2006, and Dietrich Mateschitz of Red Bull, together responsible for 20 per cent of the grid and also the venue in Red Bull's case, as they mulled over F1 participation from 2021 onwards. Or others for that matter."