Zak Brown on Max Verstappen's penalty: "Oscar was clearly up the inside"
Zak Brown feels it “would have been better for everyone” if Max Verstappen had ceded the lead to Oscar Piastri after going off-track at first corner
The 2025 Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was ultimately decided by events at the first corner.
Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen arrived side by side, with Piastri asserting himself on the inside line, leaving Verstappen with two options: back off or take to the run-off area on the outside.
Verstappen chose the latter and rejoined the track in the lead, incurring a five-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
Although he held on to the lead until making his first and only pitstop, the five-second ‘hold’ in his box cost him track position and, in the final analysis, the race.
The rights and wrongs of the penalty naturally became an incendiary topic in the fan community as well as on the pitwall.
Red Bull’s take, as expressed by ‘driver advisor’ Helmut Marko, was that several similar infractions had gone unpunished in the F2 races this weekend, so the penalty was unjustified.
However, the rules of engagement in F1 are very clear in circumstances such as this: if a driver leaves the track and is deemed to have gained an advantage by doing so, they must hand back any positions gained.
Red Bull and Verstappen failed to do this even when informed that the matter had been escalated to the stewards, making the five-second penalty inevitable.
Although Piastri had the disadvantage of ‘dirty air’ in Verstappen’s wake during the opening stint, the world champion’s penalty shifted the initiative and the McLaren driver led the remainder of the race once his late-stopping team-mate Lando Norris, and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, had pitted out of the way.
“It probably would have been better for everyone if they’d swapped positions,” McLaren CEO Zak Brown told Sky Sports F1 after the race.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Zak Brown, McLaren
Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
“I definitely thought a penalty was deserved. Oscar was clearly up the inside, he got a better start and you need to use the racetrack.
“Whether it’s a five-second penalty or give the position back, I think you could go either way – but I thought it was definitely appropriate, it was Oscar’s corner, and at some point you gotta just concede.”
Photos from Saudi Arabian GP - Race
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - Sunday
Share Or Save This Story
How “reset” Russell fended off “recalibrated” Hamilton for Barcelona GP pole
LIVE: F1 Barcelona Grand Prix updates - George Russell leads Lewis Hamilton in Spain
LIVE: F1 Barcelona Grand Prix updates - George Russell leads Oscar Piastri as Valtteri Bottas hits problems in FP3
Max Verstappen surprised as Red Bull halves gap to Mercedes in Barcelona
F1 Barcelona GP: Saturday schedule, weather forecast and how to watch
From “a new back” to the front row: What’s behind Max Verstappen’s surprise Monaco pace?
F1 Barcelona GP: Sunday race schedule, weather forecast and how to watch
Red Bull left "confused" by Pierre Gasly Monaco podium reinstatement
Is Red Bull a victim of F1's ADUO system? The surprising results explained
NASCAR Cup Pocono starting lineup: Denny Hamlin earns pole as Wallace, Hocevar spin
Drivers proud of NASCAR safety initiatives after Christopher Bell crash
How “reset” Russell fended off “recalibrated” Hamilton for Barcelona GP pole
The trick behind Lewis Hamilton's best qualifying result for Ferrari
How “reset” Russell fended off “recalibrated” Hamilton for Barcelona GP pole
What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 Barcelona Grand Prix
Is Red Bull a victim of F1's ADUO system? The surprising results explained
Anti-racing or ingenuity? Monaco's hold-up tactics might be in F1 for good
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments