Why didn’t Verstappen receive a penalty after his pit stop?
During the Singapore Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso had to serve a penalty in the pits. The Aston Martin driver crossed the white line with all four wheels, at the entrance of the pit lane. Max Verstappen, on the other hand, only had two wheels over the line.
A few centimeters that cost dearly. During his first pit stop, Fernando Alonso crossed the white line and the curb, just before the pit lane, with all four wheels. Immediately placed under investigation, the Spanish driver was ultimately penalized with a five-second penalty. The two-time world champion served his penalty during his second visit to the pits.
The car 14 crossed the white line (and the rumble strip) at the entrance of the pit lane and joined the pit lane entrance, contrary to the race director’s briefing notes », explain the commissioners in document 41 regarding the Singapore Grand Prix.
A little later, Max Verstappen executed a similar move. However, the Dutchman was not penalized. So, no, he is not protected by the stewards and the FIA. He did not break any rules.
Indeed, before each event, the governing body publishes a document that defines the boundaries not to be crossed at the pit entrance. Here in Singapore, one must not go beyond the rumble strip. This is something the Red Bull driver did not do, as his car had only two wheels on the white line. For this reason, he was not penalized. In Formula 1, the line between hero and zero is often very thin.
