Ex-F1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone questions Max Verstappen’s Saudi Arabian GP antics

Bernie Ecclestone questioned Max Verstappen's risky antics at the Saudi Arabian GP which ultimately caused him to lose the race to Oscar Piastri.

Ex-F1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone questions Max Verstappen’s Saudi Arabian GP antics

Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri (via RaceFans), Bernie Ecclestone (via IMAGO)

Max Verstappen had a great shot at achieving the Saudi Arabian GP victory after starting from the pole position. However, the Dutchman was involved in a Turn-1 incident with Oscar Piastri, which caused him a five-second penalty. Following this penalty, Verstappen was on the back foot for the majority of the race and couldn’t achieve the race win. Subsequently, the 27-year-old held out a non-verbal protest and spoke the bare minimum during the subsequent media appearances.

Ex-F1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone has shared his opinions on the matter and questioned Max Verstappen‘s tactics. The Dutchman firmly believed that Oscar Piastri had pushed him off the track heading into Turn 1 of the first lap. Still, Verstappen was penalized for going off the track and gaining an advantage. The four-time champion was extremely agitated with the penalty and refused to comment on it at all, fearing a more serious consequence for criticising the FIA.

Bernie Ecclestone raised a question on Max Verstappen’s action on the track, which caused a penalty for him. The ex-Supremo questioned the reason behind Verstappen not ceding positions and letting Piastri ahead of him. The slim track of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit would have made it difficult for the 27-year-old to later gain the position back from the already dominant McLaren challenger.

Moreover, Red Bull’s performance struggles were imminent at the Saudi Arabian GP as well, despite Verstappen’s pole position. Bernie Ecclestone resonated with this thought and reckoned that it would have been difficult for Verstappen to gain the time back. As such, it was understandable that he did not want to lose crucial track positions, which would ultimately cause him to lose the race. Regardless of the Dutchman’s decision, he was handed a five-second penalty, which, anyway, cost him the win.

Why didn’t Max just give the position back immediately? Because making up five seconds is usually difficult under normal conditions.

Bernie Ecclestone told Blick

Max Verstappen asserts entire incident happened ‘very fast’

Max Verstappen was a little slower off the start as compared to Oscar Piastri. Still, the Dutchman came into the apex ahead of the Aussie. Piastri pushed Verstappen off the track as he did not have much space left. The 27-year-old spoke very little on the incident and did not comment too critically, especially due to the FIA’s recent crackdown on people criticizing the governing body. The reigning world champion is already on bad terms with the FIA following his previous swearing saga in the final stages of the 2024 season.

Max Verstappen and Mohammed Ben Sulayem (via PlanetF1)
Max Verstappen and Mohammed Ben Sulayem (via PlanetF1)

Verstappen recalled the incident on track and pointed out that everything happened very fast. Further, he believed that it was better not to say anything about the incident. The 27-year-old also made a snarky remark at the FIA and refused to elaborate further. The four-time champion reiterated that he did not want to comment on the situation as it could lead him to face unnecessary troubles, as witnessed in the past.

It happened very fast, I think it’s better not to talk about it. Anything I say or try to say about it might get me in trouble.

Max Verstappen told Planetf1

Red Bull continues to face massive struggles in the 2025 season in regards to their performance. The No. 2 driver in the team, currently Yuki Tsunoda, is unable to replicate Verstappen’s performance in the mediocre chassis. The Dutchman will now have to focus on his performance and minimize errors in order to stay in the drivers’ title contention against the dominant McLarens leading the pack. Time will tell about how the final edition of the ground-effect era will pan out for the reigning world champion.