NASCAR Community Including Bubba Wallace Go Beserk at F1 Teams ‘Negotiating’ Penalties at Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Arabian F1 Grand Prix has concluded, and it was a bizarre race. There were two red flag periods and some squabbling between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. At one point, it looked like there would be a penalty incoming after the first red flag, when the two had the first of many clashes, resulting in Max cutting the corner. During the red flag, Red Bull began trying to negotiate with the FIA. Admittedly, Bubba Wallace and a few NASCAR personalities found this amusing.

Wallace tweeted, “Can we all just imagine the conversations with Steve O’ Donnell and some of our sports grizzly voices for the teams while discussing penalties“. Other prominent journalists like Jenna Fryer, Jeff Gluck and Davey Segal, were also quite incredulous.

Gluck admitted that if this sort of situation happened in NASCAR, social media would have a field day. In the end, Red Bull’s negotiations did not work out. Instead, a delighted Esteban Ocon started at the front, with Hamilton and Verstappen right behind him.

What happened during the F1 race?

In the end, Lewis Hamilton won the inaugural F1 race at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit. However, that win came with a few controversies, as the gloves were well and truly yanked off. It was like witnessing a catfight, the only difference being that the combatants had cars in their arsenal. There were questionable tactics, particularly from Max Verstappen, but defending champion Hamilton was able to prevail.

Meanwhile, Verstappen himself finished the race in 2nd, ahead of Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas. The Finn just about managed to beat Alpine’s Esteban Ocon across the line to snatch the final podium spot. Now, Hamilton and Verstappen head into the final race weekend level on points. Everything now comes down to which of them can finish ahead of the other at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix next week.

READ MORE: WATCH: Dejected Max Verstappen Walks Out of the Podium Ceremony at Saudi Arabian GP