Max Verstappen has been handed a post-race penalty following the conclusion of the F1 Miami Grand Prix.

The Dutchman was noted during the race for potentially crossing the white line on pit exit, but stewards chose to investigate the incident after the race. They have now done that, and handed Verstappen the infraction’s standard five-second penalty.

That would have been enough to knock the Red Bull star down from fifth to sixth in the final classification, had Charles Leclerc behind him not also picked up a penalty – that one for leaving the track and gaining an advantage multiple times as he limped home in a broken Ferrari.

Leclerc’s penalty means Verstappen holds onto his position, which he only picked up in the first place thanks to the Ferrari driver’s substantial drop in pace after his last-lap crash.

RACE RESULTS: Antonelli makes history as Verstappen investigated

FIA explain delayed Verstappen decision

Verstappen should be breathing a sigh of relief that his lapse didn’t cost him a position, with the fact that he was stopping (and emerging) under safety car conditions making it somehow more baffling that he managed to breach a basic rule.

The FIA decision document confirmed the decision, and also explained why a theoretically cut-and-dried decision needed to be investigated post-race, rather than a decision being made and announced mid-race.

It read: “The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 3 (Max Verstappen), team representative and reviewed, video and in-car video evidence.

“When the incident occurred there was limited video evidence to make a clear decision on whether an infringement had occurred. We therefore decided to investigate the incident after the race, to see if we could get better video evidence of the incident in the meantime, perhaps from other angles. We were able to do so.

“The new angles did show more views of the pit exit line and the incident in question. The driver of Car 3 explained that he was driving out of the pit exit and rejoined the race under full course yellow.

“The Stewards determined that the outside of the front left-hand tyre did cross the outside of the solid white pit exit line in violation of Appendix L, Chapter IV Article 6 c) of the International Sporting Code. Given the nature of the infraction the Stewards elected to impose a penalty of 5 seconds.”

F1 HEADLINES: Verstappen sends Miami warning, Red Bull star disqualified

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F1 star Nico Hulkenberg was unable to even start the Miami Grand Prix sprint race, after a dramatic incident pre-race.

Hulkenberg was completing his lap to the grid when his Audi power unit caught fire, with smoke and flames pouring out of the German’s car.

He was able to bring his car to a stop at the side of the circuit, where marshals extinguished the flames, but Hulkenberg’s participation in the sprint race was confirmed to be over by Audi racing director Allan McNish, while his participation in grand prix qualifying later on Saturday was also in doubt.

“We had something in the garage which we thought was sorted out, but clearly there was a problem going to the grid, and we need to get the car back to have a look at it,” McNish confirmed to Sky Sports F1’s Ted Kravitz, before Kravitz then asked about qualifying.

“We need to get it back before we can really see,” McNish replied.

It meant that Audi had just one car taking to the grid for the start of the Miami GP sprint race, with Gabriel Bortoleto their only hope of scoring points, starting the race from 11th with eighth place good enough for points in a sprint race.

READ MORE: FIA investigate Lando Norris after infringement at Miami Grand Prix

Will Hulkenberg be taking part in qualifying?

After the sprint race action, there will be around three hours before attentions switch to the grand prix, with grand prix qualifying taking place at 4pm local time on Saturday.

It will be a race against time for Audi to figure out what’s wrong with Hulkenberg’s car and fix it before Q1 is over.

If a completely new power unit is needed, then that is unlikely to be fixed in time, but if it’s something more simple, then Audi may just manage to get the German out there.

Audi are in a fortunate position in 2026 in that it’s highly likely that four of the six Q1 exit spots will be taken by the two Cadillac cars and the two Aston Martins, meaning just one lap from Hulkenberg could be enough to get into Q2 and a half-decent grid position for Sunday’s race.

As for the sprint race, there was an empty grid slot where Hulkenberg’s Audi should have been, a bonus for the likes of Oliver Bearman and Carlos Sainz who qualified directly behind him.

READ MORE: FIA announce Ferrari punishment at Miami Grand Prix

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Lewis Hamilton has been handed a major Ferrari lift, Max Verstappen is facing fresh pressure at Red Bull, and the Miami Grand Prix weekend has already been hit by FIA changes and weather fears. Here are the biggest F1 stories on Thursday April 30.

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Lewis Hamilton has been backed to launch a real bid for an eighth world title, with the Miami Grand Prix a key weekend for Ferrari’s momentum.

The Scuderia are expected to bring major upgrades to south Florida and that could be good news for the seven-time world champion.

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Max Verstappen heads into Miami with Red Bull under pressure

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Kelly Piquet spills the beans on Max Verstappen relationship

Kelly Piquet has opened up about living in the F1 pressure cooker with world champion Max Verstappen.

The Brazilian model and influencer went deep about her life and her family in an interview with a Mexican magazine.

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Hamilton reveals dating nightmare: Calling Mum and ‘should I run?’

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Miami weather threat leaves F1 facing a tense wait

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FIA trial could create new trouble for Hamilton and Ferrari

An FIA trial in Miami is a possible threat to Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari at exactly the wrong moment in their season.

It could blunt what has been Ferrari’s biggest weapon so far this season.

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