Heavy penalty for Red Bull Racing! This victory is still being taken away!

Red Bull Racing's sim team has been stripped of a key victory after Dutch world champion Jarno Opmeer received a time penalty days after the race. The penalty demoted him from first to fourth place.

In a classic Red Bull fashion, Opmeer had initially taken advantage of a quirk in the PGSL championship regulations. Running in third place on the final lap of the virtual race, he opted to dive into the pit lane, where the finish line was positioned earlier than on the main track. This clever move allowed him to cross the line ahead of his rivals — at least until the penalty was applied.

Controversy among competitors

Opmeer’s win sparked widespread reaction from fellow drivers and race officials. While the maneuver did not explicitly breach the regulations, the stewards were unimpressed. They have now ruled that Opmeer’s actions amounted to ‘behaviour on the circuit contrary to the principles of fair competitions or sportsmanship,' also deeming it a violation of the race code.

Opmeer, however, has expressed confusion over the decision. “Only championship in the world where you can get penalised for something not stated in the rules 👍,” he posted on X.

You can watch Opmeer's move here