Max Verstappen’s Mercedes punished after investigation over Nurburgring incident
The FIA has handed out a penalty
Max Verstappen and Lucas Auer have been handed a three-place grid penalty for an incident in qualifying at the Nurburgring.
Verstappen and Auer qualified sixth on the road behind the wheel of the Red Bull-branded Mercedes-AMG GT3 car in Saturday morning’s qualifying session as the Red Bull F1 driver returned to the German circuit.
Max Verstappen and Lucas Auer hit with Nurburgring grid penalty
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The pair ended the session more than three-and-a-half seconds adrift of pole position, with Verstappen unable to improve on Auer’s earlier time.
After a lengthy red flag stoppage, Auer was seen making contact while attempting to overtake another car following the resumption of the session.
Verstappen and Auer have been hit with a three-place grid penalty as a result following a stewards’ investigation, leaving the pair down in ninth on the grid.
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The first of two four-hour Nurburgring 24 Hours qualifier races is scheduled to begin at 1730 local time in Germany.
Saturday’s race will see Verstappen compete at the Nordschleife at night for the first time before a second race is held on Sunday afternoon.
Verstappen’s latest brush with the stewards comes after his car was disqualified on his last visit to the Nurburgring last month.
The Red Bull driver dominated an NLS race, along with teammates Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon, during a break in the F1 calendar in March.
However, the trio were excluded from the official classification after being found to have used seven sets of tyres – one more than the permitted maximum of six – over qualifying and the race combined.
Verstappen’s latest trip to the German circuit comes as he prepares for his debut in the Nurburgring 24 Hours next month.
The endurance classic will be held across May 14-17, falling in the break between F1’s Miami and Canadian grands prix.
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