Source:REUTERS/Marton Monus
[Saba Sports News] After the second practice session of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen sparked controversy by throwing a towel out of his car, and the race officials later investigated the incident. The Dutch double world champion threw a towel out of his cockpit during the third corner of the second practice session. After getting out of the car, Verstappen explained that it was for safety reasons. He said, “It was just a towel. You usually use it to wipe your face when you come back, but I don’t know why it was still in my car. To prevent it from getting caught between my feet and becoming dangerous, I was driving along the ideal racing line and tried to throw it away as safely as possible. I think everyone understands that.” Verstappen did not receive any penalty from the FIA, but the team received a warning. The officials listened to statements from Verstappen and the team representative of Red Bull’s No. 1 car. Additionally, they reviewed video footage. In the post-race report, it was noted that after the No. 1 car left the pit lane, it was seen that the driver threw a towel out of the cockpit. The driver explained that the towel had slid from his leg onto the seat while he was still in the pits, so the team didn’t know it was still in the cockpit. When the driver realized the towel was still inside, he moved to the right side of the track and tried to throw it as far away from the car and the track as possible.