Verstappen Called to Account for Impeding Magnussen in F1 Austrian GP Qualifying

Max Verstappen investigated for impeding Kevin Magnussen during Austrian Grand Prix qualifying.

Max Verstappen, the Red Bull driver, has been summoned to appear before the stewards at the Austrian Grand Prix following allegations of impeding Kevin Magnussen during Q1 of the Formula 1 race. Verstappen had secured pole position in a dramatic qualifying session at the Red Bull Ring, which was marred by numerous track limit penalties. However, almost two hours after the session had ended, the FIA stewards announced that Verstappen was under investigation for an incident involving Magnussen.

The FIA released a brief statement stating that Verstappen is accused of holding up Magnussen at Turn 1 during the first phase of qualifying. Magnussen himself confirmed that the incident occurred at the start of his final run in Q1. Onboard footage revealed that Verstappen was driving slowly on the exit of Turn 1 while Magnussen was beginning his hot lap. Despite having to navigate around the Red Bull, Magnussen's lap was ultimately deleted due to a track limits infringement.

Reflecting on the session, Magnussen, who finished in 19th place, commented on the tight nature of the competition. He explained, "It's all so tight at the moment. I had traffic with Verstappen at Turn 1 on the first lap of my final run, but that lap was deleted for track limits - it wouldn't have counted anyway. Then on my second attempt, I had a downshift fault, it wouldn't downshift, so it cost me a little bit of time at Turn 3 as I was in the wrong gear. When it's this tight, in fact, it's unbelievably tight - a little issue like that is very costly. Normally you can get away with something like this, but we were just on the wrong end of it today."

Verstappen faces the risk of a grid penalty if he is found guilty of impeding, and the fact that Magnussen's lap was deleted is unlikely to have a significant impact on the stewards' decision regarding potential action. Should Verstappen be demoted, pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix would be handed to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who finished qualifying in second place ahead of his teammate Carlos Sainz.

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