Max Verstappen has reacted to the lap one incident involving him and Oscar Piastri at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Dutch driver has largely opted to avoid discussing the controversial moment since the conclusion of the Jeddah event.
The pair was involved in an incident running into the first chicane, which resulted in a penalty for Verstappen. The Red Bull driver, who had started the race on pole position, headed into the first turn side by side with Piastri and ultimately took to the run-off area, which was judged to have gained him an advantage over the McLaren driver.
The incident, which was ultimately settled by the race stewards, saw Max Verstappen handed a five-second penalty, which appeared to be the decisive factor that cost him the Grand Prix win. Sharing his thoughts on the incident, the four-time world champion offered a blunt five-word reaction when quizzed about it during the post-race press conference.
Speaking as seen in a video posted on X (formerly Twitter) by user @Scuderiafemboy, Verstappen responded:
“It happened very fast, yeah.”
The words of Verstappen appear to sum up the mood within the Red Bull Racing garage, where dissatisfaction with the stewards has continued to simmer. Key figures in the Milton Keynes team hierarchy, including team principal Christian Horner, have continued to voice their discontent with the stewards’ decision.
Helmut Marko reacts to Max Verstappen’s penalty
Red Bull’s head of the driver development program, Helmut Marko, has weighed in on the penalty incident involving Max Verstappen. The 81-year-old detailed his frustration with the judgment issued by the stewards on the incident.
Marko stressed that the lap-one incident was purely a racing incident, citing the stewards’ previous judgment of a similar happening during a Formula 2 race. He emphasized that it was the decision that ultimately cost the team the race victory. Sharing his thoughts with the media via RacingNews365, the Red Bull chief said:
“We lost the race at the start. On the one hand, where should Max have gone? We’ve seen Formula 2 races and the same thing happened with two or three drivers. They got a warning. So five seconds is a bit harsh.”
Further detailing his thoughts, Marko continued:
“I see it more as a racing incident. At the beginning, Piastri was in the lead, but at the last braking section, Max took over again. It is what it is. The speed was okay, and the tire wear was also positive. You could also see that overtaking is incredibly difficult. After we got this penalty, we just wanted to bring the car home and take second place.”
Max Verstappen indeed finished in second place at the Grand Prix, marking his third podium finish of the 2025 season so far. The Dutch driver and his Red Bull team will turn their attention to the next race — the Miami Grand Prix — with the hope of recording a better outing against the rest of the grid and the McLaren team.
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