Max Verstappen: It's not in my interest to challenge the stewards

      Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri fought for the lead at the start of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. In the first corner, the Red Bull Racing driver drove off the track and retained the first place. The stewards did not appreciate the maneuver and fined Max for five seconds. After the finish, Verstappen was not eager to comment on the events of the first lap and the verdict of the stewards.

      For his teammate Yuki Tsunoda, the race ended on the first lap after a collision with Pierre Gasly in turn four. The stewards recognized the incident as a racing incident and did not apply sanctions.

      Max Verstappen (2nd): "To be honest, any words I say about the penalty would be a waste of time. We already talked about this a lot last year, and this year the rules are interpreted differently. But that's not my problem.

      The positive results include the fact that I had a good race pace, and I am much more satisfied with the behavior of the Medium tires. To be honest, I didn't expect such a pace from the car, but the changes we made before Saturday after Friday's practice sessions helped a lot to reduce tire wear.

      What did I mean when I said that the rules are interpreted differently? Let's get an official decision from the stewards – everything will be written there. It is not in my interest to dispute this. The only thing I'm interested in right now is going home."

      Yuki Tsunoda (exit): "The collision occurred at the narrowest corner of the highway when we were driving side by side. Based on experience, we know what can happen on the first lap.

      I thought I was in control of the situation, but I accelerated too fast and lost control when I was right behind Carlos Sainz. I wasn't going to run into him.

      I did my best to avoid contact, but unfortunately it happened in the narrowest corner of the track and on the first lap when the tyres had less grip. I guess we should have been a little more careful."