Max Verstappen has been given a five-second time penalty for his Virtual Safety Car violation in the sprint race, dropping him to fourth place in the final standings.

Verstappen crossed the line third at Interlagos on Saturday afternoon, behind the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, but faced an investigation into a possible VSC rupture on the restart on the final lap.

Just before the lights turned green, Verstappen passed Piastri, but fell back just as the sprint race resumed. According to the VSC, drivers are required to adhere to a minimum ‘delta’ to ensure that they do not gain an advantage over the vehicles in front.

According to the stewards, Verstappen says:

💬 “was 0.63 seconds under the minimum time at VSC End when the FIA ​​light panels turned green. This indicates a sporting advantage that has been achieved under VSC.”

Verstappen explained at the hearing that he tried to correct the error after receiving the message that he was below the delta, but was unable to do so before the race turned green again.

The penalty drops Verstappen from P3 to P4 in the sprint, behind Charles Leclerc, and also means his championship lead over Norris has now been reduced to 44 points ahead of qualifying for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Saturday.

Verstappen was also given one penalty point on his FIA super licence, increasing it to seven for a period of 12 months. Any driver who achieves twelve points in twelve months will receive a one-race suspension.