Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen has earned the first penalty of the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after a crash that Oscar Piastri sarcastically described as “the move of a world champion”.

The FIA ​​handed Verstappen a 10-second penalty for the contact – but the McLaren driver involved also received a penalty of his own.

Piastri criticizes Max Verstappen as “the action of a world champion”

The drama in Abu Dhabi started early. As the lights went out to announce the start of the final race of the 2024 F1 season, the gloves came off.

Pole sitter Lando Norris got off to a good start and easily took the lead, but the same could not be said for his leader Oscar Piastri.

From fourth on the grid, Max Verstappen jumped into action and tried to cut Piastri from the inside in the first corner. The small gap narrowed almost immediately and there was contact between the two drivers.

Verstappen did a complete 360-degree turn and almost immediately fought his way back up the grid, but Piastri wasn’t quite as lucky. He lost control of his McLaren, spun and was only able to get back on at the back of the grid.

“Yes, that’s a move by a world champion,” Piastri said dryly on the radio after the maneuver.

Find out more about the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix:

👉 Max Verstappen’s “dive bomb” warning to McLaren after huge title win

👉 Valtteri Bottas would have “gone somewhere else” after Sauber’s “erroneous” admission.

The Australian racer was delighted to learn his rival had been handed a 10-second penalty for the contact – only to receive his own 10-second penalty immediately afterwards.

Why? Well, it had nothing to do with the Verstappen contact.

As Piastri returned to the back of the grid, he was clearly keen to climb through the field as quickly as possible, starting with the people at the back of the field.

But the McLaren driver was too sharp and collided violently with the rear of Franco Colapinto, who braked a little earlier before the corner. It looked as if Piastri had escaped the altercation unscathed, but Colapinto immediately radioed his Williams team and reported a puncture.

Colapinto drove into the pits to change tires, followed a few laps later by Piastri. The McLaren driver was then given a 10-second penalty, with race management citing his contact with the unsuspecting Williams.

Other penalties imposed at the start of the race went to Valtteri Bottas, who received ten seconds for colliding with Sergio Perez’s Red Bull, and Zhou Guanyu, who received a five-second penalty for his false start.

Read more: Did Sergio Perez ignore Red Bull’s “jump before you’re pushed” advice?