When news broke on Sunday evening that Max Verstappen had been ordered to do two days “public service” by the race stewards at the Brazilian Grand Prix after his clash, on and off the track, with Esteban Ocon, it was easy to let the mind wander.
Would the Red Bull Racing driver be armed with a broom and asked to sweep leaves outside the headquarters of the FIA, motorsport’s ruling body, in Paris?
Would he have to scrub graffiti off a wall near the Interlagos track at Sao Paulo? Perhaps grab a clipboard, take on driving instructor duties and judge the standard of three-point turns?
Fortunately for Verstappen, his public service will not involve anything quite like that.
It will almost certainly be similar to what Sebastian Vettel did in 2017 when, after driving into Lewis Hamilton behind the safety car, he took part in an educational role with the FIA junior formulas of motorsport.
____________
Read more:
Lewis Hamilton wins Brazilian GP as Max Verstappen clashes with Esteban Ocon
Brazil and Abu Dhabi give Lewis Hamilton chance to end the one anomaly of his F1 career
WATCH: This is what it is like to race around the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix circuit
____________
On that occasion, Vettel was tasked with speaking to the next generation about avoiding making the same mistake, and Verstappen can expect similar after his spot of road rage post-race in Brazil.
Verstappen was on track for his third win of 2018 on Sunday when he led at the start of Lap 44, but he spun down to second after contact with Force India’s Ocon, as the Frenchman tried to unlap himself.
An upset Verstappen, who went on to finish second behind world champion Lewis Hamilton, then confronted his rival immediately after the race, pushing him three times, before walking away.
The race stewards took a dim view of the incident, with Ocon having already been punished with a 10-second stop go pit penalty as the perceived guilty party for the collision.
What did not help Verstappen’s cause was that he had almost 40 minutes to calm down after the on-track clash with Ocon, yet still went looking for him as soon as he got out of the car.
Verstappen is not the first driver to be taken out by a backmarker, and he will not be the last. His frustration was understandable but arguably a lack of experience meant he could not control his temper. The Dutchman may be about to complete his fourth season in F1, but he is still only 21.
The public service is a win for all parties in many ways.
Verstappen was never going to be banned for the incident, although it is more to Ocon’s credit for not retaliating that the incident did not escalate beyond a couple of aggressive shoves.
Meanwhile, the FIA get one of the sport’s leading stars at their disposal for two days. His superstar status will inspire young racers, while also reminding them that road rage is bad and not to repeat his behaviour.
Verstappen may also get some time to reflect on his behaviour. Granted, he was the victim of the incident. Ocon, who was on fresh tyres, was entitled to try and unlap himself, with Verstappen going slightly slower as he looked to conserve his own tyres until the end of the race.
But Verstappen gave Ocon absolutely no room. He must have known he was there, yet presumed he was going to back off as he was a lap down.
That might have been a fair assumption to make, but as Hamilton, who was right behind the incident said, “you always leave room”.
Verstappen did not and that was a lesson learnt the hard way. There was no need to be that aggressive with Ocon, whether the Frenchman should have been there or not, and he lost the race because of it.
The pair later shook hands in the paddock to end the row, though it is likely to still be a talking point when they arrive in the UAE next week for the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 25.
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
Results
Stage Two:
1. Mark Cavendish (GBR) QuickStep-AlphaVinyl 04:20:45
2. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin-Fenix
3. Pascal Ackermann (GER) UAE Team Emirates
4. Olav Kooij (NED) Jumbo-Visma
5. Arnaud Demare (FRA) Groupama-FDJ
General Classification:
1. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin-Fenix 09:03:03
2. Dmitry Strakhov (RUS) Gazprom-Rusvelo 00:00:04
3. Mark Cavendish (GBR) QuickStep-AlphaVinyl 00:00:06
4. Sam Bennett (IRL) Bora-Hansgrohe 00:00:10
5. Pascal Ackermann (GER) UAE Team Emirates 00:00:12
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Profile of Whizkey
Date founded: 04 November 2017
Founders: Abdulaziz AlBlooshi and Harsh Hirani
Based: Dubai, UAE
Number of employees: 10
Sector: AI, software
Cashflow: Dh2.5 Million
Funding stage: Series A
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets