Why was Max Verstappen not penalized after the 2023 F1 Singapore GP qualifying?

It was a qualifying session to forget for Max Verstappen as he was knocked out of the Q2 session and was also involved in three FIA investigations for separate incidents.

The Red Bull driver struggled throughout the session and never really looked comfortable in his RB19. On top of not being able to extract the maximum performance out of his car, Max Verstappen also impeded Logan Sargeant and Yuki Tsunoda. He was also investigated for sitting stationary in his car at the end of the pitlane.

The two-time world champion hasn't been handed a grid penalty for impeding other drivers. Verstappen was reprimanded for his actions in two of the incidents and also handed a €5,000 fine.

The stewards claimed that Max Verstappen did not unnecessarily move out of the pitlane slowly. They said (via The Race):

"Whilst no obvious advantage was gained by the driver in waiting at the Pit Exit for what is deemed to be an extraordinarily long time, the potential for this to negatively impact other drivers warrants a penalty. Whilst it is noted that the car behind could have overtaken car 1, it is preferable that cars depart the pit exit in an orderly manner."

FIA stewards explain why Max Verstappen wasn't penalized for impeding in the Singapore GP qualifying

The stewards stated that the Red Bull F1 team and Max Verstappen had poor communication and were unable to inform the Dutch driver about a fast-approaching AlphaTauri of Yuki Tsunoda.

Explaining their decision for the Tsunoda incident, the FIA said:

"Just prior to Car 22 [Tsunoda] passing Car 1 [Verstappen], the driver of Car 1 saw the car behind approaching and moved to the left, however quite late. The team admitted that there was poor communication on its part and that it did not advise its driver until Car 22 was alongside."

Whilst for the Logan Sargeant incident, they pointed out that Max Verstappen was caught in traffic and surrounded by other cars who were in their preparation laps. The stewards said:

"The driver of Car 1 stated that he was surrounded by many other cars on preparation laps, some of which chose to overtake him on the left and some on the right, and therefore he decided the safest option was for him to drive straight and keep the line, leaving a car width on his right. He stated he felt any movement to the left or right could have caused a collision with one of the cars around him. "

Starting from P11, it will be a difficult task for Red Bull and Max Verstappen to claim his 11th consecutive race win and his first on the streets of Singapore, as it is very hard to overtake at the Marina Bay Circuit.