Was Verstappen rightfully cleared of penalty in the Azerbaijan GP?

Red Bull's Max Verstappen has been cleared of a penalty for passing a Virtual Safety Car at the end of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix to finish fifth in the race.

The drama was enthralling at the end of the Grand Prix in Baku, which McLaren's Oscar Piastri won. Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and Red Bull's Sergio Perez were podium-bound but crashed on the final lap, leading to the VSC coming out.

The race was effectively neutralized due to the lack of laps remaining. After the race had finished, Verstappen, Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly, and Nico Hulkenberg were called into the stewards as they had overtaken cars under VSC after the chequered flag.

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According to the Formula One website, all drivers were cleared of a penalty and issued a warning. The stewards released a statement on the incident.

"While passing after the chequered flag is not unusual, it is prohibited in the case of yellows, Safety Car, or Virtual Safety Car procedures."

"While the drivers were aware of where the incident was, they could not have known if emergency equipment or marshals were being dispatched onto the track, and so have to proceed with caution."

"The Stewards are aware that this has happened earlier this season and was not noticed at the time. We are therefore warning the driver concerned, along with all other competitors. Further breaches may incur significant penalties."

Lando Norris is Max Verstappen's biggest rival in the Formula One championship this season. In the race, he finished one place ahead of Verstappen. The McLaren driver had his say on the incident.

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The Mirror reports that Norris said, "Max is overtaking everyone, but it's still a VSC, right?" Later the same day, Norris added, "I didn't complain about anything; I just stated facts."

"I just had VSC on my dashboard which normally means no overtaking, but he was overtaking, so I just quizzed it to my team because I didn't think you were allowed to overtake. But maybe I'm wrong."

If the Formula One stewards have let overtaking slide in a previous race, how can it be fair to punish the drivers who have done it again in Baku? With the newly issued warning, it seems only fair that drivers be punished from this point forward.

Norris sits 59 points behind Verstappen in the Drivers' Championship with seven races remaining. Can Norris gain more ground on the Dutchman in Singapore?

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