Red Bull Racing has been reprimanded by Formula 1 stewards following a bizarre incident during the Hungarian Grand Prix practice session involving Max Verstappen. The four-time world champion was summoned after the second practice session at the Hungaroring when video evidence showed him throwing a towel from his car onto the track.
According to the stewards' statement, Verstappen threw a towel out of the cockpit shortly after Car 1 was released from its garage. Verstappen explained that the towel had slipped from his lap to the side of the seat while in the garage, and the team was unaware it was still in the car. When he realized the towel was there, he moved to the far right of the track and tried to throw it as far away as possible. Despite his efforts, the towel landed on the asphalt and remained there for the rest of the session.
Verstappen explained that he got rid of the towel "in the safest way possible". He said it was a towel he normally uses to wipe his face, and it was still in the car when he went out. He added that instead of it potentially flying in between his feet, which he felt was dangerous, he drove offline and got rid of it. He believed the stewards understood his reasoning.
The stewards acknowledged that the towel was more dangerous inside the car because it could have become lodged in the footwell and interfered with Verstappen's ability to fully control the car. They ruled that Red Bull had released the car in an unsafe condition, although less serious than if a hard object had been left in the cockpit. The stewards decided against punishing the team or driver because a cleaning cloth is not a "hard object" and is therefore less dangerous. They explained that it was mitigated down to a warning because taking no action would have been more "dangerous". The FIA opted for a warning and spared Red Bull any harsher penalty.
Sky F1 pundit Bernie Collins suggested that Verstappen should have returned to the pit lane to dispose of the towel, as it could have disrupted a rival's run plan in practice. She noted that these types of incidents happen from time to time, mentioning an instance where a McLaren driver had a tool left in the car. She added that while it would have ruined Verstappen's soft run, it would have been safer than risking the towel getting sucked into someone else's brake ducts or radiator.
The incident occurred during a difficult practice session for Verstappen, who finished 14th in FP2. He voiced his frustration over the team radio, saying, "I don't know what is going on. It is just undriveable". He admitted that "nothing" worked for him throughout the day.
Despite the focus on the towel incident, Verstappen's struggles on the track were also in the spotlight. He expressed dissatisfaction with the car's performance, citing low grip and balance issues. Verstappen's teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, finished ninth overall in the practice session.
