(Sao Paulo) Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull) will be heard by F1 race marshals in Sao Paulo on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. (7:30 a.m. ET), in the investigation into his Mercedes’ compliance. rival Lewis Hamilton.
Concretely, Verstappen will have to explain himself in images showing him approaching and possibly touching the rear wing of the Hamilton car after qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix on Friday.
His convocation relates to a possible violation of article 2.5.1 of the International Sporting Code of the International Automobile Federation (FIA).
This stipulates that “inside the Parc Fermé (where cars are parked after qualifying, editor’s note), access is only allowed to assigned officials. Any operation, verification, preparation or repair is prohibited, unless authorized by the aforementioned officials or by applicable regulations. ”
Hamilton, who dominated qualifying ahead of Verstappen, is under investigation by the same marshals to determine if his car complies with the regulations.
This is precisely his Drs (the flap mounted on the rear wing of his single-seater which deploys to gain top speed) which is in question because it would open more than the regulations allow.
If the marshals judge that his car is not regulatory, the seven-time world champion risks the cancellation of his time in qualifying and a start from the back of the grid during the qualifying sprint race for the GP on Saturday at 4.30 p.m. (14 h 30 ET) at the Interlagos circuit.
Verstappen could now also be penalized.
Friday evening, the hearing was adjourned to Saturday morning, also awaiting “the removal of the rear wing of the car (of Hamilton) and the putting under seal of this part”.
In the drivers’ standings, the Dutchman from Red Bull is 19 points ahead of his British rival four rounds from the end of the season. The latter must therefore prevent him from widening the gap beyond the 25-point mark, which would protect Verstappen from retirement.
Hamilton is already under a penalty of five places on the starting grid of the GP on Sunday for an engine change beyond the quota authorized per season.
The Brazilian GP, absent from the 2020 calendar due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is the third and last in 2021 to offer this new qualifying sprint race format on Saturday.
Barely more than 100 km long (24 laps) completed in around 30 minutes, it determines the starting grid for the GP the next day and also offers some points in the championship, from 3 in the first to 1 in the second.