Though Max Verstappen deserved to win the Austrian Grand Prix, he also should have penalised for the move that earned him it, according to Nico Rosberg.
It was a long anxious wait post-race in Spielberg as the stewards investigated the Dutchman’s move on Charles Leclerc which saw the Ferrari bumped off the track.
And when they decided it was a ‘racing incident’ the 2016 champion cheered stating Formula 1 needed “great racing and less penalties”.
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Later in his YouTube vlog, however, the former Mercedes driver suggested the Red Bull driver had intentionally driven to force the Ferrari off track.
“I think Verstappen deserves victory because he was simply super,” Rosberg said initially. “But I also have to say, and that sounds stupid now… I think Max drove far out on purpose and turned in very late.
“He knew from the previous lap that this would be the only way to win the race.
“In the first overtaking attempt, he left a lot of room on the outside and Leclerc was able to counter.
“He knew he had to push him out. He turned in very late.
“He was far away from his usual driving line because normally he hit the apex exactly.”
Rosberg is well-placed to comment too, having done the exact same thing, albeit more extreme, to fend off an attacking Lewis Hamilton on the outside at the same corner in 2016, with the two drivers colliding.
“He was far away from his usual line and as a result, I, unfortunately, think he should have got a penalty,” he continued.
“And of course that’s a pain in the ass because we want to see racing, these wheel-to-wheel fights.”
