Verstappen escapes penalty after pitlane line incident in F1 Turkish GP

Red Bull Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen has avoided punishment after being investigated for crossing the white line at the exit of the pitlane during the Turkish Grand Prix.

Such an infringement usually would result in a five-second time penalty, but Verstappen, who finished 1.6 seconds ahead of Red Bull teammate Alex Albon in sixth, escaped any sanction.

The Istanbul Park stewards explained they were unable to find “conclusive evidence that demonstrates beyond a reasonable doubt” that Verstappen’s car was completely over the white line when he left the pits.

"Having reviewed video evidence from a wide variety of cameras and angles at the highest resolutions available, the stewards are unable to find conclusive evidence that demonstrates beyond a reasonable doubt that any part of Car 33 crossed completely over the white line separating the pit exit from the track,” the stewards noted in their report.

Verstappen was left to rue a “super-frustrating” race in Turkey after suffering a huge spin while attempting to pass Sergio Perez for second place at mid-distance.

The Dutchman flat-spotted his tyres and was forced to make another stop for a new set of inters, before ultimately finishing sixth ahead of Albon.

“It’s just very frustrating, to be honest,” he said after the race. “I tried to follow Checo through that kink and then suddenly I just massively washed out.

“You get onto the green bit, big spin, trying to keep it out of the wall of course, flatted-spotted the tyres.

“You had to keep going on intermediates. But at one point when you start wearing the rubber off the intermediates, it becomes like you’re just like sliding over that rubber everywhere.

“So it was really, really difficult. Basically just following no grip, trying to survive, so definitely not a great day. Hopefully we will never be in this situation again that is so slippery.”