Helmut Marko has criticised F1’s stewards for a lack of consistency following 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Max Verstappen’sꦐ penalty at the start of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix♋.

Verstappen was hit with a five-second penalty after the stewards deemed that he had left the track and gained an advantage when battling 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Oscar Piastri into Turn 1 on the opening lap of the race.

Pi🤡astri had made a better start than Verstappen and 🅠was ahead at the apex of the corner.

Verstappe🍒n braked late and cut the corner to main👍tain the position.

As he didn’t relinqu🎃ish the place, the stewards handed him a five-second penalty, a decision which ultimately compromised his race and his chances of winning the race.

Marko was left unimpressed by the decision, pointing to similar incidents in the support races, such as Formula 2, that wen🌼t unpunished.

Speaking to Sky Germany, Marko said: “I think the race was lost at the start. And really, where was Max supposed to go? We watched the Fo﷽rmula 2 races, and the same thing happened to two or three drivers.

“They were only given warnings. So in our view, the five-second penalty was a bit harꦍsh… the inconsistency in stewarding is difficult to understand.

“Piastri was ahead at the start, but at the very last braking zone, Max wa꧂s slightly ahead again. But it is what it is.”

Verstappen pace “gives us confidence”

Despite the penalty, Verstappen finished second, wi🍸thiဣn three seconds of eventual race winner Piastri.

It was a strong performance from Verstappen, a week on from♉ a nightmare Bahrain Graღnd Prix.

In Bahrain, Verstappen finished a lowly sixth, overtaking Alpine’s Pierre Gasly on the final lap 🐻of the♚ race.

Their lack of pace l🥃ed to a ‘crisis meeting’ taking plꦑace after the race between Red Bull’s senior figures.

Consequently, the lead-up to this weekend in Saudi A🃏rabia was centred around Verstappen’s future amid Red Bull’s poor form.

Marko believes Verstappen’s📖 pace gives Red Bull confidence movi🍨ng forward.

“You could see it - he pulled a three-second gap early on. Piastri was already complaining about tire degradation. When you’re following another car, it’s always tougꦫher,” Marko added. “And on the second stint with the hard tires, when Max really pushed to the limit, we were closing in again.

“If someone had told us on Friday that we’d finish second, we’d have celebrated. But the car changes were so effective that w♋e’re obviously a bit deflated not to bring home the win. Still, we showed we’ve got the speed and tire wear under control - that gives us confidence moving forward.”