Max Verstappen has received a five-second post-race penalty for a virtual safety car infringement during the Brazilian Grand Prix sprint, dropping him behind Charles Leclerc in the finishing order.

When Nico Hulkenberg pulled over with a mechanical issue and the VSC came out on lap 23 it looked like a potential gift for Verstappen, who had closed right up to the rear wing of Oscar Piastri’s McLaren.

Following a trip to the stewards, the Dutchman was discovered to be over the minimum delta time, landing him a five-second penalty and one penalty point for his FIA super license.

Team principal Christian Horner was asked about the investigation by Sky Sports F1 but had little to say on the matter, replying: “On everything that we can see it looks ok, but let’s see.”

Adding some more context to the Dutchman’s race, he continued: “I think the most encouraging thing in that race for us was that the race pace was decent to stick on the tail for 24 laps, to pass Charles. That was encouraging. I think there’s some things that we’re starting to understand.”

While Verstappen was forced to scrap for third place, his championship rival Lando Norris claimed maximum points after team-mate Piastri moved aside in the nick of time before the VSC came out.

Giving his verdict on a successful race execution in Interlagos, Norris said: “Not proud about it, but we worked well as a team together, so I thank Oscar. We’ve done a great job as a team. Today was the result that we wanted.

“Oscar deserved it, but we did what we had to do. So I thank him and the team. We had great pace, so looking forward to qualifying and the race tomorrow.”

Verstappen and Norris will have another shot at glory later in the day with qualifying following the sprint race, although the three-time world champion is carrying a five-place grid penalty after changing his power unit.