In addition to Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen was also penalised after the Miami Grand Prix. The four-time world champion was not only summoned to the stewards’ office for the incident involving George Russell at Turn 1, but also had to explain what happened during his exit from the pit lane following his stop.
While still in the pit exit lane, the Dutch driver was found to have crossed the white line, thereby breaching Appendix L, Chapter IV, Article 6 (c) of the International Sporting Code.
After hearing from the driver of car number 3, Max Verstappen, and a representative from the Red Bull team, the stewards carefully examined the available video evidence and onboard footage. During the race, the available evidence had been insufficient, which is why the decision was postponed until after the chequered flag.
When questioned, the driver of car number 3 explained that he was in the process of exiting the pit lane to rejoin the race. However, the stewards determined that the outer edge of his front-left tyre had indeed crossed the outer edge of the continuous white line marking the pit exit, thus violating Appendix L, Chapter IV, Article 6 (c) of the International Sporting Code.
Given the nature of the infringement, the stewards decided to impose a five-second time penalty on Verstappen, which was subsequently added to his final race time. Below is the official FIA document.
The recent decision regarding Max Verstappen’s pit exit violation further complicates the final classification of the 2026 Miami Grand Prix, highlighting the stewards’ commitment to a strict interpretation of the sporting code this season. As the teams head to the next round, maintaining discipline in the pit lane will be just as vital as on-track performance to ensure points are not lost to avoidable technical penalties.
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