Max Verstappen’s 10-second time penalty for colliding with George Russell was probably the most controversial penalty name of 2025 within the eyes of RaceFans readers.
Greater than 80% of our readers felt the stewards didn’t punish the Pink Bull driver significantly sufficient for the incident throughout the Spanish Grand Prix. It dropped Verstappen 5 locations within the outcomes, leaving him tenth within the last classification and costing him 9 championship factors.
RaceFans readers had been invited to present their verdict on how the stewards dealt with each main incident throughout the 2025 F1 season. Listed below are the 5 calls they disagreed with most strongly.
Most controversial F1 penalty calls of 2025
Verstappen, Spanish Grand Prix
83% stated his penalty was too lenient
The lap 64 collision between Verstappen and Russell occured in uncommon circumstances. Verstappen had misplaced a place to Charles Leclerc at a Security Automobile restart three laps earlier, then minimize flip two after he got here below assault by Russell.
Pink Bull, influenced by Russell’s radio messages, made the wrong judgement that Verstappen ought to give the place again. He slowed down approaching flip 5, seemingly to permit the Mercedes previous, then ran vast within the nook, inflicting contact. He stayed forward of the Mercedes till flip 12, then let him previous once more.
The stewards dominated Verstappen was solely responsible for the contact. Moreover his time penalty additionally they gave him three penalty factors on his licence. This was greater than the same old two for such a collision, however had they given him any extra he would reached a complete of 12, triggering an automated ban.
The ten-second time penalty price him 9 factors, the total impression of which turned clear six months later, when he misplaced the world championship by simply two. However on the time many felt the stewards had been too delicate. Considerably, they didn’t summon him to clarify his uncommon driving in flip 5.
Just one determination throughout 2025 provoked extra disagreement: 84% of readers felt Carlos Sainz Jnr’s penalty for colliding with Liam Lawson within the Dutch Grand Prix was too harsh. Nonetheless that decision was reversed after Williams requested a evaluate.
Reader’s view
2021 Monza, will get offended attributable to a gradual pit-stop that enables Hamilton to get in entrance of him, crashes into Hamilton on the first alternative.
2021 Jeddah, will get offended as he has to let Hamilton overtake him after passing off the observe, then brake checks Hamilton.
Quick ahead to Spain, will get offended after Leclerc after which Russell overtake him, crashes into Russell shortly after.
Wants a extra extreme penalty as his anger points are a recurring downside, there are different examples.David West
Piastri, Brazilian Grand Prix
79% stated his penalty was too harsh
Oscar Piastri regarded poised to regain important floor within the Brazilian Grand Prix when he pounced on Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s sluggish Mercedes at a rolling restart. The McLaren driver made it to the apex of flip one, however so did the Mercedes, and the pair made contact. Neither sustained harm, however Antonelli understeered vast into Leclerc’s Ferrari, placing him out of the race.
The stewards dominated Piastri was responsible for the contact and issued a 10-second time penalty. That turned a possible second-place end into fifth, costing him eight factors. It was a tricky name for Piastri, whom many felt was additionally laborious carried out by earlier within the 12 months when he was penalised for slowing excessively throughout a Security Automobile restart at Silverstone: 66% referred to as that call too harsh.
Reader’s view
The right instance of a penalty being issued solely as a result of somebody needed to retire.
10 seconds for that? Do they need drivers to race or simply observe one another dwelling?Edvaldo
Verstappen and Leclerc, Mexican Grand Prix
71% and 70% stated they need to have been penalised for corner-cutting
A number of drivers minimize throughout flip two at the beginning of the Mexican Grand Prix, although some did so extra egregiously than others. Leclerc and Verstappen each relinquished locations after rejoining the observe, although most of our readers felt they didn’t do sufficient to deserve a penalty, and had been sceptical about whether or not they even supposed to get across the nook as they approached it, and hoped to take advantage of the weak enforcement of observe limits by the stewards.
Whereas 70% felt Leclerc deserved a penalty, 71% determined Verstappen did (he was thus far off the observe his automobile can’t be seen within the image above).
Reader’s view
I used to be a bit bemused that Verstappen and Leclerc didn’t obtain any penalties (I didn’t actually discover the drivers additional behind). For Verstappen, there isn’t a means a driver of his calibre can be so uncontrolled on the first nook except he knew he may get away with it by reducing the nook (after all with a perfunctory “they pushed me off” over the radio).
If his outdoors late-braking transfer had labored, it will have been sensible and he may have been difficult for second, because it was he may decide the place he would slot again in – it was even unclear to me whether or not he let Hamilton by, or whether or not he simply selected to not combat him too laborious within the circumstances. In any case, making that gamble is leaving the observe and gaining a bonus, in my view. With out the run-off choice, he ought to simply have slotted in behind the main pack.
As for Leclerc, that was much more blatant in my view. Hamilton was cleanly previous him, after which he simply selected to disregard flip two, though he may have simply stored it on the highway by sacrificing some momentum. Maybe the stewards felt the Ferrari pit wall ought to deal with any intra-team stuff, however I disagree.@AdrianMorse
Bearman, Italian Grand Prix
69% stated his penalty was too harsh
Oliver Bearman was already near a ban when he tagged Sainz because the Williams driver overtook him on the surface heading into the Variante della Roggia at Monza. Amongst those that disputed the choice to penalise him was Williams crew principal James Vowles.
Reader’s view
The stewards’ determination on Bearman is insane from a gaggle of people who find themselves meant to grasp and implement a algorithm. The rules actually say if overtaking on the surface and have your [front] axle forward you’re “entitled to be given room” i.e. not run off the observe by the man on the within. How they flip that right into a “proper to the racing line” I don’t know. So now whoever’s axle is barely behind even when they’re nearly absolutely alongside is obliged to simply again out and cede the place. It’s successfully a ban on facet by facet racing in a nook.
The entire ‘allow them to race’ factor didn’t work ultimately as a result of folks knew they may run one other driver off and nothing would occur, however now they’ve swung the pendulum thus far the opposite means it’s comical.@Blupid
Hamilton, Mexican Grand Prix
68% stated his penalty was too harsh
The excessively beneficiant run-off areas on the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez triggered loads of acrimony as soon as once more in 2025.
Hamilton minimize throughout flip 4 to make sure Verstappen didn’t keep forward of him on the finish of an alternate between the 2 drivers by a number of corners. Verstappen initially attacked the Mercedes driver at flip one from a good distance again, the pair making contact, then the Pink Bull driver went off at flip two as he tried to remain forward. Many readers disagreed with the stewards’ view Hamilton was the one driver at fault within the alternate.
Reader’s view
Verstappen misplaced management into flip one, forcing one other driver (Hamilton) off the observe. That’s a penalty for Verstappen.
Hamilton gained a long-lasting benefit by rejoining two seconds forward of Verstappen and Bearman. He didn’t overtake Verstappen, however he gained a niche. That’s a penalty for Hamilton.
I used to be absolutely anticipating them to get 5 seconds every.Christopher Rehn (@ChrisChrill)
Your verdict on each stewards’ name this 12 months
Whereas these 5 calls stood out as significantly contentious, our readers did approve of many different calls made by the stewards this 12 months. Discover all the outcomes beneath:
System 1
Browse all System 1 articles
