Red Bull driver Max Verstappen was investigated after throwing a towel out of his car during Free Practice 2 of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend.
The four-time champion discovered a towel in the cockpit of his RB-21 and flung it out as he drove through Turn 3.
After the session was over, the FIA stewards summoned the Dutchman over the incident.
The official infringement was labeled as an unsafe release because the team allowed the car to go out on track with the towel still in the car.
There was no damage done to another car, but the towel could potentially get caught on the floor of a car or in a sidepod inlet.
Verstappen explained the incident after FP2 concluded:
“It’s just a towel that you normally wipe your face with when you come back in, so it was still in the car when I went out,” he told reporters.
“Instead of it, of course, maybe potentially flying in between my feet, which is the dangerous part, I drove offline, and I got rid of it in the safest way possible, so I think the stewards understand that.”
More than an hour after the session, the FIA delivered a decision and handed the team a warning over the towel being left in the car.
“The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 1 (Max Verstappen), team representative and reviewed video and in-car video evidence,” the governing body said in a statement.
“Shortly after Car 1 was released from its garage, the driver of Car 1 was observed to have thrown a towel out of the cockpit.
“The driver explained that while in the garage, the face towel had slipped from his lap to the side of the seat, and the team was unaware that it remained in the cockpit.
“When the driver realised it was there, he moved to the far right of the track and attempted to throw it as far away from the car and the track as possible.
The Stewards determine that the towel had the potential to have become lodged in the footwell and to interfere with the driver’s ability to fully control the car and that therefore the car was released in an unsafe condition.
“The stewards consider this case to be distinguishable from a case where a hard (and therefore potentially dangerous) object is left in the cockpit and to be less severe than such a case.
“Hence, a warning to the team is imposed.”
Verstappen and Red Bull dodged a harsher penalty from the stewards, but he still won’t be happy after Friday’s disastrous sessions.
Red Bull looked far off the pace, especially Verstappen, who ended up finishing 14th in FP2.
The team is known for struggling on Friday, only for a miraculous turnaround on Saturday and Sunday.
They will need more magic if they hope to fight for a podium position.
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