Controversial drive through denies Max vital points

Published on 03 August 2014 by Stefan Meens

Max Verstappen leaves the Red Bull Ring with a feeling of ‘what could have been’ after being classified in fifth, fourth and twelfth despite finishing the three races in third, fourth and another P4. A 5-second penalty in the first race and a controversial 20-second penalty in race 3, denied the Dutchman valuable championship points. Nevertheless, he scored 22 points as opposed to the zero points championship leader Estaban Ocon bagged.

The third and final race proved to be another action packed rollercoaster. At the start, Max maintains his starting position, P5. Straight away, he takes the fight to fourth placed Antonio Fuoco. Unfortunately, the Van Amersfoort Racing driver goes wide in turn 3 losing three places in the progress. At the front, pole sitter Antonio Giovinazzi leads Tom Blomqvist and Lucas Auer.

Max: “I struggled in the early stages as the car lacked grip at the rear and it wasn’t easy keeping it on the track. It was a bit of shame as I found plenty of speed a few laps into the race but at that point, overtaking had become more difficult.”

Like earlier on the Sunday, during race 2, the safety car makes an appearance. This time the race was neutralised after Alexander Toril and Felix Rosenqvist both ended in the gravel at the same time but in different locations. After the restart, Max puts the pressure on Jordan King and forces the Briton in a mistake granting Verstappen junior P7.

Max is on a roll as he puts in good lap times and closes the gap to Nicolas Latifi and Jake Dennis. He passes the Canadian with a swift manoeuvre but has to try a bit harder to overtake Dennis. “It was a challenge to overtake Dennis. He kept defending the inside line as it’s very tough to overtake on the outside but I had no other choice. I’m glad I pulled of such a nice manoeuvre and after I cleared him, I was really able to push.”

Meanwhile, Esteban Ocon, Jules, Szymkowiak, Dennis van de Laar, Santino Ferrucci and Richard Goddard are all awarded drive throughs for ignoring a yellow flag. In the meantime, Max, now in fifth, aims his sights at Antonio Fuoco. Within three laps, Max closes the 1.9 second gap and plans his next move. In lap 21 out of 24, the Dutchman throws his car alongside Fuoco as he outbrakes the Prema Powerteam driver into the first corner. Max successfully passes the Italian who tries to cut back and in the process damages his front wing.

Despite the manoeuvre being successful, Max realises he exceeded the track limits and immediately gives P4 back to Fuoco. However, Verstappen junior does not give up and in the next lap, he makes his move stick. At the front, Giovinazzi takes the victory ahead of Blomqvist and Auer.

“Fuoco was difficult to pass. I had to drop an extra gear during my first attempt as I braked extremely late. I still passed him but when his front wing touched my rear wheel, I exceeded the track limits so I gave back the position. On the next lap, I was able to overtake him despite making contact. However, it was only a slight touch.”

Unfortunately for Max, the stewards decide to give the Dutchman a drive through in the last lap of the race. As he does not absolve the penalty in the race, the drive through is turned into a 20-second time penalty meaning Max is classified in twelfth, scoring no points.

“It’s frankly ridiculous. According to the stewards, I wasn’t allowed to defend my position after I overtook Fuoco on the main straight. The regulations clearly state we have to give a car’s width of space to your opponent. I gave him more than enough space so I’m very disappointed with the decision. I guess you are not allowed to race anymore these days. There’s no point in us protesting against this decision as you never win these appeals anyway”, explains a disappointed Max.

After this disappointing and tough weekend, Max is already focusing on round 9 of the FIA European Formula 3 championship at the Nürburgring in a fortnight. “It’s a new weekend on a new track and thus another chance to put in a good result. And trust me, I’m very motivated to do well”, concludes a feisty Max.

FIA Formula 3 European Championship Round 8 – Red Bull Ring – Day 3, Sunday August 1:
Results race 2
Results race 3
Euro F3 drivers championship
Euro F3 rookie championship
Euro F3 team championship