Red Bull won't appeal Verstappen penalty at Saudi GP

Red Bull Racing has officially confirmed it will not pursue a right of review against the five-second penalty handed to Max Verstappen during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The reigning world champion was penalized for leaving the track and gaining an advantage at the start of the race during his battle with McLaren's Oscar Piastri.

Decision time

The incident, which occurred on the opening lap, saw Verstappen maintain position after going off track while fighting Piastri into Turn 1.

Red Bull initially defended their driver's actions, arguing Verstappen had been forced off circuit and was ahead at the apex.

Race stewards disagreed with this assessment, imposing a five-second penalty that Verstappen served during his only pitstop. This decision proved pivotal to the race outcome.

Team Principal Christian Horner expressed frustration in the immediate aftermath, even presenting printed onboard images to media that he claimed showed Verstappen was ahead in the corner.

Despite this initial reaction, Horner acknowledged that pursuing formal review procedures would likely be unsuccessful.

Stewards' reasoning

In their official verdict, the stewards determined that Piastri had established a legitimate overtaking position before the incident occurred.

"Car 81 had its front axle at least alongside the mirror of car 1 prior to and at the apex of corner 1 when trying to overtake car 1 on the inside,"

the stewards explained.

"In fact, car 81 was alongside car 1 at the apex. Based on the Driver's Standards Guidelines, it was therefore Car 81's corner and he was entitled to be given room."

The officials noted that while the standard penalty for such an infraction would be ten seconds, they reduced it to five seconds considering it occurred on the opening lap of the race.

Limited appeal options

Red Bull had 96 hours after the race to file a formal right of review petition, but has now confirmed to Motorsport.com they will not proceed with further action.

Horner's post-race comments already suggested limited optimism about overturning the decision.

"Obviously, we spoke to the stewards after the race. They think it was a slam dunk,"

he said.

"The problem is, if we're to protest it, then they're going to most likely hold their line."

This decision follows McLaren's unsuccessful right of review attempt after the 2024 United States Grand Prix, where Lando Norris received a similar penalty during his battle with Verstappen.

That precedent likely influenced Red Bull's choice not to pursue formal review procedures.

The team's decision to accept the penalty marks the end of this particular controversy, allowing both teams to shift focus to upcoming races as the championship battle continues to develop.