In a document published by the FIA, the stewards explained that they heard from both drivers and their team representatives, combining this testimony with a review of a range of data including telemetry, team radio and onboard footage.

READ MORE: Sauber gunning for points, McLaren in the title hunt, and fun at Turn 1 – What To Watch For in the Qatar GP

They noted that Russell stated that “if a car was going slow in a high speed corner, it should not be on the racing line”, but they concluded that the case was “a complicated one” and did not warrant the usual three-place grid penalty as neither driver was on a push lap.

The document said: “Car 1 did not comply with the Race Director’s Event Notes and clearly was driving, in our determination, unnecessarily slowly considering the circumstances.

“It was obvious the driver of Car 1 was attempting to cool his tyres. He also could see Car 63 approaching as he looked in his mirror multiple times whilst on the small straight between Turns 11 and 12.”

Verstappen will thereby start the Qatar Grand Prix from second place on the grid, gifting the advantage of pole position to the Mercedes driver ahead of the 57-lap race.