Max Verstappen unleashed a scathing attack on Formula 1’s race director after his qualifying session for the Brazilian Grand Prix was scuppered by red flags.
The Red Bull star ended up in an unfortunate 12th place on the Q2 leaderboard when the red flags disrupted the flow. Compounded by a five-grid place penalty, this leaves him starting a disappointing 17th.
It was Lance Stroll’s crash amid pouring rain that triggered the red flag situation, but there was a delay before they were flown. Race director Niels Wittich initially held off in hopes of allowing drivers to complete their flying laps, yet ultimately had to halt proceedings.
Verstappen, however, was incensed by the delay and the missed chance to secure a spot in Q3, which his championship competitor Lando Norris managed; Norris not only completed his lap but soared to the top of the timesheets before the interruption.
The Dutch ace didn’t mince his words as he condemned the decisions made: “A car hits the wall and it needs to be straight red [flag]. I do not understand why it needs to take 30 or 40 seconds for a red flag to come out, it is just bullsh*t. Honestly, I will let it go. It is so stupid anyway to talk about, it is ridiculous,” reports the Mirror.
(Image: Formula 1 via Getty Images)
Regardless of the timing, even with immediate red flags, Norris was set to advance to Q3 whereas Verstappen would still have been ousted. But, without the delay, he would have placed higher as he was 11th before Stroll’s crash, only dropping to 12th once the session stopped.
The Interlagos circuit was hit by a series of incidents during a rain-soaked session, with the third red flag being raised after Franco Colapinto spun his Williams in Q1. This was followed by Lewis Hamilton’s second Q1 exit in this Americas triple header of races, while Norris narrowly avoided elimination.
Earlier in Q2, Carlos Sainz crashed his Ferrari at the Senna Esses, causing a stoppage. The third crash involved Stroll, and a fourth occurred in Q3 when Fernando Alonso drove his Aston Martin into a barrier.
However, the drama didn’t end there. Alex Albon had the most severe crash, leaving Williams racing against time to prepare his car for the race just hours later. Aston Martin also had both cars to repair following Colapinto’s earlier incident.
Norris secured pole position, giving him the best opportunity to capitalise on Verstappen’s misfortune. George Russell achieved the second fastest time, resulting in an all-British front row.
Yuki Tsunoda surprised everyone by coming third, while Liam Lawson, RB team-mate, finished fifth fastest, shining a spotlight on Red Bull’s sister team. They were separated by Esteban Ocon’s Alpine, all dreaming of scoring big points in the race.