Max Verstappen received a reprimand after impeding Valtteri Bottas during the opening free practice session at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Friday.
The teenage Dutchman and the youngest winner in Formula 1 history was driving slowly between the final chicane as he attempted to create a gap to a car in front of him, but failed to notice the car of Williams Martini Racing’s Bottas coming up at full speed behind him.
Bottas was forced to take avoiding action across the run-off area at the chicane as a result, and it was announced that the stewards would take a look at the incident after the session.
After hearing from both drivers post-session, the stewards deemed that Verstappen was wholly responsible for the incident, and handed the Red Bull Racing driver his first reprimand of the season.
Verstappen becomes the third driver to receive a reprimand in 2016, with his former Scuderia Toro Rosso team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr having received one for a pit violation during the Spanish Grand Prix, while reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton has two, for digressions in both the Bahrain and Russian Grand Prix.
