Why Verstappen got an F1 grid penalty instead of a time penalty

The pair came to blows on Lap 26 of the Italian Grand Prix when Hamilton exited the pit lane.

Verstappen attempted to go up the inside of Hamilton into Turn 2, clipping the sausage kerb which propelled his car on top of his rival’s Mercedes ending both of their races.

The Dutchman was handed a three-place grid penalty for his role in the incident, while back at Silverstone when the pair collided, Hamilton was handed a 10-second time penalty.

Explaining the stewards’ decision-making process for deciding penalties, Masi says the three-place grid penalty is equivalent to a five-second time penalty, but as Verstappen couldn’t continue in the race, it would have been impossible for him it.

“I think one of the things that we’ve generally amongst the teams that a five or a 10-second penalty, give or take, is there or thereabouts between the two of them,” Masi said. You need to look at it on the basis of if they had continued it would have been the time penalty in the race, however, they didn’t so in Silverstone you can’t compare them at all.

“You’ve got two cars taken out in one incident versus one car taken out in another incident - as in they couldn’t continue to serve a penalty. A grid penalty as we’ve seen is what’s applied for this year as we’ve agreed with all of the teams is applied when someone doesn’t continue.”

Masi sees no reason to adjust the sausage kerb placed at Turn 1 at Monza, stating that it was the “driver’s choice” to either hit it or cut the corner completely.

“In that situation, I think the sausage kerb works quite well as in that particular corner,” Masi added. “It was a driver’s choice, you can drive into the kerb or go to the left of it which we saw numerous times that happened over the course of the weekend that a number of people in similar situations chose to go left of the kerb through those little bumps and rejoined.”