Overview
- Race stewards handed drive‑through penalties to Franco Colapinto and Arvid Lindblad for overtaking under yellow flags after Max Verstappen’s opening‑lap crash at the Zandvoort race in August.
- The penalties drew strong criticism from drivers, fans and a sponsor executive who deleted a post that questioned steward integrity.
- The FIA condemned targeted online abuse of stewards, confirmed it is exploring legal options to protect officials, and cited prior threats as a driver of its 'United Against Online Abuse' efforts.
- Ben Sulayem told delegates at the FIA American Congress that the body will broaden steward training, ask national member clubs to nominate candidates for rotation, and promised to call Colapinto to hear his concerns.
- Officials say wider training and rotation aim to improve consistency in split‑second safety rulings, and the FIA warns continued public attacks on stewards could prompt further legal and governance measures.