Max Verstappen learns punishment after throwing towel out of F1 car
Lando Norris topped the timesheets in both of Friday's practice sessions, as he looks to overtake his championship rival Oscar Piastri before F1 goes on its summer break.
Verstappen, who prior to the weekend confirmed he would be staying at Red Bull for 2026, was a long way off the pace, finishing FP2 over a second behind Norris.
But the four-time champion also found himself in trouble with the stewardsafter a bizarre incident during the second session, where he slowed down on track and started rummaging around his cockpit.
He then pulled to the side of the road and chucked away what appeared to be a towel or a rag, which ended up on the tarmac, before he got on his way again.
'It was just a towel that you normally wipe your face with when you come back in,' Verstappen later clarified to Sky Sports.
'It was still in the car when I went out, so instead of it maybe flying between my feet, which is the dangerous part, I drove off the line and got rid of it in the safest way possible. I think the stewards understand that.'
Have you ever seen anything like this before?! Max Verstappen is under investigation after throwing a rag onto the track in practice! 👀 pic.twitter.com/3mYGTVPo26 — Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) August 1, 2025
Unsurprisingly, the 27-year-old and Red Bull were summoned to the stewards to explain the incident and after a brief investigation they concluded he had done the right thing and would not be penalised.
They did however issue a formal warning to the team, with an FIA statement reading: 'The driver explained that while in the garage, the face towel had slipped from his lap to the side of the seat and the team was unaware that it remained in the cockpit.
'When the driver realised it was there, he moved to the far right of the track and attempted to throw it as far away from the car and the track as possible.
'The stewards determine that the towel had the potential to have become lodged in the footwell and to interfere with the driver's ability to fully control the car and that, therefore, the car was released in an unsafe condition. More Trending
'The stewards consider this case to be distinguishable from a case where a hard (and therefore potentially dangerous) object is left in the cockpit and to be less severe than such a case, hence a warning to the team is imposed.'
The news will come as a relief to Verstappen on a 'bad weekend' for the reigning champion, who added: 'Today was very tough, just a really low grip feeling.
'There wasn't really a balance in the car so it's even difficult to say what the exact problem is. Nothing really worked, so it's something we have to investigate overnight.'
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MORE: All change in Formula One as Red Bull begin life after Christian Horner and Lewis Hamilton tells Ferrari 'it's crunch time'
MORE: Kneecap slam 'outrageous' ban ahead of major music festival
MORE: F1 star criticises Christian Horner decision after Red Bull snub
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
15 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Toto Wolff provides George Russell contract update as Mercedes star jets off on holiday
Formula 1 has reached its mid-season summer break and George Russell has yet to put pen to paper on a new Mercedes contact with his current deal expiring in December Toto Wolff believes George Russell will "definitely" be a Mercedes driver in 2026. The Brit's current contract expires at the end of the year, but a renewal has been highly likely ever since Max Verstappen confirmed that he intends to stick with Red Bull next year. Mercedes boss Wolff had been eyeing up an ambitious move to convince the Dutchman to quit for the Silver Arrows. And the most likely of his current drivers to be replaced in such a scenario was Russell despite the 27-year-old's superb season so far. He remains the only driver other than Max Verstappen and the dominant McLaren pair to win a race, courtesy of his Canada victory in June. And his third place in Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix was his sixth visit to the podium in 2025. Speaking after that impressive performance in Budapest, Wolff said of Russell's contract situation: "Definitely, he is staying. The team is strong and he has shown it again today." Both Mercedes drivers are products of the team's efforts to develop talented youngsters into stars. His team-mate is Kimi Antonelli who has endured a difficult debut season in F1 at times, having been fast-tracked into the sport as a raw 18-year-old, but who has already shown glimpses of what he can do. A maiden podium was secured on that red-letter day in Canada for the team, and that came a month after his first pole position for the Sprint race in Miami. But it is Russell who has led Mercedes forward this year, the Brit fourth in the drivers' championship and now only 15 points behind Verstappen ahead. "George has always had good cards, because he has delivered since 2018," said Wolff of negotiations with his driver. "There was not a season he was not there, and nothing changed that in our thinking for next year. 'So, just because you do not talk outside, it does not mean that things are not progressing in your relationship internally. And when it comes to his contract, let's see. We will come out and say what kind of term we have put forward." Sky Sports launches discounted Formula 1 package This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more £43 £35 Sky Get Sky Sports here Product Description Perhaps emboldened by Verstappen's confirmation that he does not plan to take Russell's seat, the Brit is more casual than ever about his future. "I have waited so long, and I think now I want to get through this weekend," he said before the race in Budapest. "I want to go on a holiday next week and enjoy the break. There is no time pressure my side, there is no time pressure from the team's side. So whenever we come to an agreement, we will get it done. But it has got to be right both ways."
The Sun
15 minutes ago
- The Sun
‘He will beat himself up' – Mercedes boss Toto Wolff opens up on Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari woes after worrying interview
LEWIS HAMILTON will "beat himself up" about his worrying post Hungarian GP interview. That is the view of the seven-time world champion's former boss at Mercedes, Toto Wolff, who claims Hamilton's fire is still burning and he has unfinished business in Formula One. 4 4 After all, no one knows the ups and downs of Hamilton's career like the Austrian chief who spent 12 years working alongside him. From six, glittering world titles to the catastrophic lows that followed him losing out on a record eighth crown to Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi 2021. It is worrying the manner in which Hamilton tore himself apart like never before after qualifying in 12th and finishing in 12th at the Hungarian Grand Prix. He labelled himself 'useless' and told Ferrari to 'change driver' while also casting doubt over his future in F1. Wolff said: 'That is Lewis wearing his heart on his sleeve. It's what he thought when he was asked after the session. 'It was very raw. He was down on himself. We had it in the past when he felt that he'd underperformed in his own expectations. 'He has been that emotionally transparent since he was a young adult. 'He will beat himself up. But he's the GOAT and will always be the GOAT. 4 '[Nothing] will take that away, no single weekend or race season which hasn't gone to plan. That's something he needs to always remember - that he's the Greatest Of All Time. 'Lewis has unfinished business in Formula 1. 'I'm absolutely useless' - Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari 'need to change driver' after Hungarian GP qualifying nightmare 'In the same way that Mercedes underperformed over this latest set of regulations, we never got happy with ground-effect car, in the same way it [affects] him. Maybe it is linked to driving style.' F1 has now begun its summer break and the next round is not until the Dutch Grand Prix on 31 August. When asked about this a downbeat Hamilton was similarly cryptic, ending an interview with "hopefully I will be back, yeah.' Hamilton trails teammate Charles Leclerc by 42 points in the driver's standings and has still not stood on the podium in 14 races with Ferrari since his move. But Wolff has urged his former driver to stay put and trust in the process with new technical regulations on the way in 2026. The Merc boss added: 'He shouldn't go anywhere next year. 'There are brand new cars which are completely different to drive. New power units which need an intelligent way of managing the energy. 'I hope he's in for many more years. Next year is an important one.' When asked if he can get an eighth world title, Wolff replied: 'If he has a car underneath him, which he has confidence in, and which does what he wants, then yes. 'If he has a car which isn't giving him the feedback that he wants - like the Mercedes of the past few years or the Ferrari which seems to be worse - then not. 'But you ask me if he still has it? He definitely has it.' 4
The Herald Scotland
28 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
McLaren boss anticipates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri ‘swapping paint again'
Piastri came close to taking Norris out on the penultimate lap as they duelled for the win. There was a similar narrow escape between the McLaren drivers at the Red Bull Ring in June, a fortnight after Norris ran into the back of Piastri in Canada. Lando Norris won in Hungary and is now nine points behind Oscar Piastri (Bradley Collyer/PA) 'There is competitiveness brewing but we are not feeling any tension,' insisted Brown. 'As the championship builds, I am sure that tension will grow. We are fully anticipating them swapping paint again at some point but I am very confident it wouldn't be deliberate, which is when you get into problems and get bad blood. 'I don't think they will fall out because of the communication, trust and respect we all have and they have for each other. We are very fortunate to have the two personalities that we have and I am looking forward to them racing each other. They are free to race. And if something bubbles up we will deal with it. DRIVER STANDINGS (AFTER 14/24 ROUNDS) Oscar Piastri takes a nine-point lead into the summer break#F1 #HungarianGP — Formula 1 (@F1) August 3, 2025 'It is not the elephant in the room because we talk about it. We meet every Sunday morning, they know each other's strategy, and we are totally transparent. 'I have said to both of them individually: 'Has your team-mate done anything to p*** you off?' Never. And that's what they have both said. Fundamentally you've got two great, respectful guys and their relationship today is the best it has ever been.' Norris drove well at the Hungaroring but could count himself somewhat fortunate to win after he qualified behind Piastri and then dropped two places to fifth on the first lap. A one-stop strategy reversed his fortunes but Norris admitted afterwards that he is 'not making life easy for myself' and there have been doubts as to the 25-year-old's title credentials. McLaren CEO Zak Brown has led the British team back to the front (Bradley Collyer/PA) Nico Rosberg, the 2016 world champion, said recently that 'the championship is going to be decided in Lando's head'. But Brown responded: 'Lando is in a great place. There was also a time Lando couldn't win from pole position, according to the world, and he has won four of his last five races from pole, so I think this kind of narrative around Lando is not accurate. 'He is open, he kind of wears his emotions on his sleeve, everyone is different, and Lando of a year ago could maybe be more critical on himself but he is in a great place, I've never seen him in a better place and he is doing an awesome job.'
