F1 TV analyst Alex Brundle has described the drive‑through penalty given to Arvid Lindblad at the Dutch Grand Prix as “harsh”, contending that drivers should not be penalised for secondary overtakes while executing evasive manoeuvres.
The race at Zandvoort was heavily disrupted on the opening lap when home favourite Max Verstappen crashed at Turn 14. As Lindblad, who was one of the drivers behind the four‑time champion, attempted to avoid the incident, he passed Pierre Gasly’s Alpine entering Turn 1.
Stewards deemed the move a yellow‑flag infringement, imposing a costly drive‑through penalty on the Racing Bulls rookie.
Speaking on F1 TV‘s post‑race programme, Brundle expressed sympathy for Lindblad’s situation.
“I think it is harsh. The accepted approach for a driver is, if you are effectively avoiding a crash, you avoid it and do everything possible to ensure you do not become part of the accident,” Brundle said. “It is difficult then to add extra responsibilities that drivers must be aware of during an incident to avoid passing another car secondarily.
“It depends on how far you are from the incident. However, if you have not actually passed a yellow flag and are simply trying to navigate around the incident, I believe it is harsh to penalise you for overtaking another driver while you are taking evasive action.”
Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls
Photo by: Eric Le Galliot
The 19‑year‑old offered his perspective on the incident after the race.
“Max lost it, then he came across the track and there was debris everywhere. I couldn’t really see anything,” Lindblad told F1 TV. “I tried to avoid making contact. I think I almost hit one of his tyres. Then I just held my line and tried to go straight to avoid any further incident. I then passed Pierre into Turn 1. I didn’t see any flags or anything, so it was a bit of a shame. I also think the penalty is a bit harsh. I think we can all be honest – it took me out of the race, basically. It was quite extreme for such an incident, but fine. It is what it is.”
