Breaking: Max Verstappen Faces Possible FIA Penalty After S…read more

Max Verstappen Under Investigation After Incident with Norris During Miami Sprint Qualifying

Max Verstappen, the reigning Formula 1 world champion, may face a late penalty at the 2025 Miami Grand Prix following an incident in sprint qualifying on Friday. The Dutch driver has been summoned by the stewards after potentially breaching FIA regulations during a heated moment with McLaren’s Lando Norris in SQ1 — the first session of sprint qualifying.

The issue arose when Verstappen’s Red Bull was seen to possibly obstruct Norris during one of the Briton’s fast laps. Norris, clearly frustrated, immediately voiced his displeasure over team radio, accusing Verstappen of blocking him at a vital moment in his lap. Although the FIA’s official notice does not mention Norris by name, it confirms that Verstappen and a Red Bull team representative have been called to appear before the stewards to provide an explanation.

The stewards are examining whether Verstappen violated Article 33.4 of the FIA Sporting Regulations, which prohibits drivers from driving “unnecessarily slowly” in a way that could be considered potentially dangerous or that could interfere with other drivers on the track. Additionally, Verstappen is being investigated under Article 12.2.1 i) of the FIA International Sporting Code, which deals with general misconduct in the sport.

This is not the first time Verstappen has found himself under the microscope for this type of infraction. At the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix, he received a one-place grid penalty for driving slowly in front of Mercedes driver George Russell during qualifying. On that occasion, the stewards opted for a lighter penalty because neither driver was on a flying lap at the time. They did, however, note that the penalty could have been harsher — possibly a three-place grid drop — had either driver been attempting a timed lap.

In this Miami incident, the stakes could be higher. The context of the possible block — occurring during an active qualifying run — may lead the stewards to impose a more significant penalty than in Qatar, especially if they determine that Norris was indeed on a push lap and that his time was negatively affected.

Despite the controversy, Lando Norris managed to advance through all three sprint qualifying segments and secured third place on the sprint race grid. Max Verstappen, meanwhile, qualified just behind him in fourth. If a penalty is imposed, it could shuffle Verstappen further down the sprint grid and potentially affect his starting position for Sunday’s main Grand Prix as well, depending on the severity of the sanction.

As of now, the FIA has yet to announce its final verdict, leaving fans and teams waiting in anticipation. Any decision will likely influence both the sprint race strategy and the broader championship implications, particularly given Verstappen’s ongoing title defense and Red Bull’s push to maintain its dominance.

All eyes will be on the stewards’ ruling — and on how Verstappen responds both on and off the track.