{"id":294361,"date":"2023-10-25T21:39:26","date_gmt":"2023-10-25T21:39:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportslifetale.com\/?p=294361"},"modified":"2023-10-25T21:39:26","modified_gmt":"2023-10-25T21:39:26","slug":"verstappen-blasted-over-dirty-maneuver-as-he-continues-to-escape-punishment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportslifetale.com\/racing\/f1\/verstappen-blasted-over-dirty-maneuver-as-he-continues-to-escape-punishment\/","title":{"rendered":"Verstappen blasted over ‘dirty maneuver’ as he continues to escape punishment"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Formula 1 legned Jacques Villeneuve hit out at Max Verstappen for the Red Bull driver\u2019s aggressive defensive move when racing with Ferrari\u2019s Charles Leclerc at the United States Grand Prix. The incident occurred during the sprint race, and Villeneuve – the 1997 F1 world champion – believes the Dutchman must be punished.<\/p>\n

The United States Grand Prix saw some controversial decisions by the FIA – and Verstappen was at the heart of it yet again. During the Sprint race, the newly crowned three-time world champion made an aggressive move to defend his pole position from Leclerc.<\/p>\n

Although the 26-year-old ultimately won the race, questions lingered over the daring maneuver. Leclerc and Verstappen started the Sprint race on the front row, and the Ferrari got off to a great start to edge its front wheels alongside the dominant Red Bull.<\/p>\n

As the duo approached the left-hand hairpin at Turn 1, Verstappen appeared to be steering the Moengasque star completely across the pit lane exit. As a result, Mercedes\u2019 Lewis Hamilton took his opportunity to attack and pass Leclerc, who would not be able to take the Brit back over while Verstappen became the only driver to win three Sprint races.<\/p>\n

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While Leclerc felt the maneuver was hard but fair, Villeneuve took a different approach. He believes Verstappen\u2019s move was far too aggressive to be ignored by the stewards, with the move ultimately costing Leclerc valuable points.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeclerc was pushed off the track, it\u2019s too much,\u201d the 52-year-old told F1 TV. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t necessary.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t understand why the first lap should be evaluated differently, a dirty maneuver or pushing a car to the limits of the track are things that should be investigated.\u201d<\/p>\n

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