FIA issue grip drop verdict after Max Verstappen and Zhou Guanyu summoned at Spa

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.

Max Verstappen and Zhou Guanyu saw the stewards at Spa with Zhou handed a three-place grid drop for impeding during qualifying.

Red Bull’s Verstappen, on a flying lap, was left frustrated during Q1 after encountering Zhou at Turn 17, feeling the Sauber driver had held him up.

Max Verstappen and Zhou Guanyu to see Belgian GP stewards

Verstappen gave Zhou the hand wave of frustration, while also taking to team radio to exclaim: “Hello? What the f***?”

Verstappen will start the Belgian Grand Prix from P11 – having comfortably set the qualifying pace yet taking a 10-place grid drop due to receiving a fifth internal combustion engine – while Zhou was due to start P19, ahead of only VCARB’s Yuki Tsunoda who dropped to the back with 60-places worth of power unit penalties.

Zhou was duly deemed guilty of impeding and given a three-place grid drop, though retains P19 on the grid considering Tsunoda’s penalty.

Key talking points from the Spa

Daniel Ricciardo v Liam Lawson: Red Bull shoot-out planned at Imola

F1 2024: Head-to-head qualifying record between team-mates

“The stewards heard from the driver of Car 24 (Zhou Guanyu), the driver of Car 1 (Max Verstappen), team representatives and reviewed positioning/marshalling system data, video, telemetry, team radio and in-car video evidence,” the report from the stewards began.

“Car 24 stayed on the racing line through Turn 17 when Car 1 was closing in despite not going at full racing speed. Car 1 had to lift the throttle for a brief moment before passing Car 24.

“The Stewards acknowledge that team informed the driver about Car 1 being behind him, but the information given was not accurate enough. However, it is the responsibility of the driver to not unnecessarily impede other drivers.

“The Stewards determine that Car 24 did unnecessarily impede Car 1 and therefore the standard penalty is applied.”

From P11, Verstappen will look to recover from a grid penalty to victory for the third season in a row at Spa.

He won from P14 on the grid in 2022 and P6 in 2023.

Read next – Belgian GP: Max Verstappen quickest but Charles Leclerc takes pole, hope for Perez