Verstappen’s “overtake of the year” is an instinctive response to Vettel.

After making waves during a wild second practice session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Max Verstappen made headlines once more with an outrageous action.

The drivers were eager to return to the track in Abu Dhabi since FP2 had been marred by two red lights following incidents involving Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg. This was to make sure they got some running in before the session concluded.

One driver was not prepared to wait around as the other drivers attempted to open up a gap in order to catch some fresh air as they were leaving the pit lane.

In an attempt to move past his competitors and continue the session, Max Verstappen manoeuvred around George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, and Pierre Gasly inside the pit-lane tunnel.

“Verstappen is just crossing on the lines to pass,” Russell complained during the incident.

Over the team radio, Verstappen attempted to defend his behavior by claiming, “I’m getting blocked.”
Verstappen vigorously defended his tactics in a post-race interview with the media, accusing the other competitors of “driving slowly.”
Verstappen said, “They have to get out of the way.” “I just wanted to get out there because we didn’t have much time.”
“They keep driving in the middle and when I try to pass them they cut me off.”

The event brought back thoughts of Sebastian Vettel’s double takeover in the pits during the Chinese Grand Prix in 2016, as he overtook Carlos Sainz and Nico Hulkenberg for being slow to enter the pits.

Some expressed disapproval of Vettel’s conduct, but the German driver justified his decision, claiming it was compliant with the rules.

The guideline states that as the pit lane is not a part of the track, passing over the white line and, in Vettel’s instance, beneath a safety car, was entirely permissible.

The controversial event sparked a discussion among Sky Sports experts over whether Verstappen’s antics were appropriate both during and after the session.

“I believe the stewards will examine this,” Croft first stated. That is plain absurd. I don’t think it’s necessary.

After the session, former Formula One world winner Damon Hill disagreed, teasing that it was the “overtake of the year.”

“I mean, back when there was absolutely no margin for error. The race was quite tight.

Although it’s challenging, he hasn’t done anything wrong technically. Max is merely demonstrating his impatience. Did he really need to advance so badly? stated host Simon Lazenby.

In her analysis of the problem, racing driver and pundit Naomi Schiff talked about the actions the FIA has taken to address the conduct of drivers in the pit lane.

In Brazil, we observed that when the rain and thunder started, drivers preferred to be outside, particularly with their short runtime. “After Mexico, they did introduce this regulation that the drivers should be on the left-hand side, which some of them were not in that situation there,” Schiff said.

Max was obviously more eager than some of the others to get outside. However, this has happened before, so why don’t cars still stay to the right? Again, I wonder if vehicles are allowed to proceed even though the pit lane is still much longer when the pit lane limit ends before the tunnel. It’s rather specific; perhaps it might be discussed at the drivers’ briefing.