Max Verstappen being investigated by race control after failing to follow race director’s orders in Canadian GP qualifying

Max Verstappen is under the radar of the stewards for failing to comply with the race director's order during the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix qualifying. The stewards sent a notice to the team manager of Red Bull Racing and summoned the Dutchman for an investigation.

Verstappen had an eventful day at Montreal, where he barely missed out on the pole position. Despite clocking an identical time (1:12:000) with George Russell, the Dutchman had to settle for P2. Besides this, an investigation by the stewards on the alleged pit lane infringement made things tricky for the three-time world champion.

According to the notice, Verstappen needs to report to the stewards with a Red Bull representative concerning a pit lane incident. Citing the reason, the stewards shared:

"Alleged breach of Article 34.8 of the Formula One Sporting Regulations and Appendix L, Chapter IV, Article 5b of the International Sporting Code and non-compliance with Race Director's Event Note (item 11, document 29) - Leaving the Pit Lane."

Verstappen failed to follow the race director's order and stuffed himself with several other drivers in the pit lane during qualifying.

The Dutchman, following an 'unsafe' release, joined the bandwagon behind Oscar Piastri's McLaren. Even though the stewards allowed him to continue the qualifying session, they called him once the sessions were over.

---

Red Bull's day will be ruined if Max Verstappen faces penalty for pit lane infringement

F1 Grand Prix of Canada

Red Bull had a bittersweet outing in Montreal on Saturday. While Max Verstappen claimed P2 and missed out on the pole by a whisker, Sergio Perez's failure to clear Q1 turned things upside down.

Now, Verstappen facing a penalty would not only ruin their day, but also stop them from taking Ferrari's advantage. The Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will start the race from P11 and P12 after they failed to make it to Q3.

Therefore, Red Bull cannot have a better time to extend their Constructor's Championship lead with Verstappen, given that Perez starts from P16.

It will be interesting to see if the stewards decide to punish Max Verstappen for the pit lane infringement and ruin Red Bull's day further.