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Max Verstappen, the 26-year-old Red Bull driver currently leading the Formula 1 drivers’ championship by 78 points over McLaren’s Lando Norris, has received a warning from the FIA following a contentious pit lane incident during the third practice session for the Dutch Grand Prix.

Verstappen, who is pursuing his fourth consecutive title, has not secured a win since the Spanish Grand Prix, marking his longest winless streak since 2020. As he returns to his home track at Circuit Zandvoort, the pressure is mounting, especially after being outpaced by Norris, who clinched pole position by 0.356 seconds, becoming the first to beat Verstappen to pole at the Dutch Grand Prix.

The incident that led to the FIA’s warning occurred during Saturday’s final practice session. Eager to get ahead, Verstappen overtook Oscar Piastri and George Russell in the pit lane but crossed the white line at the pit exit—a clear violation of FIA regulations. According to the rules, drivers must not cross the white line when exiting the pit lane, as indicated by the green and red lights at the pit exit.

F1 journalist Chris Medland confirmed the warning, stating: “Verstappen picks up a warning from race control for crossing the white line at the pit exit. Keen to get going, he overtook Piastri on the inside of the pit exit and then Russell on the outside but crossed the line to do so.”

The incident has sparked significant debate on social media, with fans expressing their views on the situation. One fan remarked, “The rules don’t apply to Max Verstappen. Give him a grid penalty, he does this all the time,” while another questioned, “Am I missing something here? Like is he allowed to do that?” Others highlighted the perceived inconsistency in penalties, with one commenting, “That’s a three-place grid penalty if it were Hamilton.”

Speaking of penalties, Lewis Hamilton received a three-place grid drop after being found guilty of unnecessarily impeding Sergio Perez during Q1 of Saturday’s qualifying session. The stewards explained that Hamilton, while on an in-lap, was informed by his team of Perez’s fast-approaching Red Bull. Despite attempting to move out of the way, Hamilton’s actions were deemed insufficient, leading to the penalty.

The stewards’ statement clarified, “The driver of Car 44, being on an in-lap, was informed by the team that Car 11 was approaching on a fast lap when he entered Turn 8. He then drove off line at the exit of Turn 8 with the intention to give way for Car 11. However, when Car 11 arrived, Car 44 had already entered Turn 9 and drove back towards the racing line at the exit of Turn 9, thereby clearly impeding Car 11.”

As the Dutch Grand Prix approaches, the controversies surrounding both Verstappen and Hamilton add an extra layer of drama to the race, with fans eagerly watching to see how these incidents will impact the championship battle.