Max Verstappen rages at ‘stupid’ red flag after disastrous F1 Brazil GP qualifying

The Red Bull driver was knocked out in Q2 after a late Lance Stroll crash in the rain on Sunday

Kieran Jackson
Formula 1 Correspondent
Sunday 03 November 2024 12:58 GMT
Comments
Can Lando Norris Still Win The Drivers’ Championship?

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Max Verstappen labelled a red flag in qualifying as “stupid” and “ridiculous” amid a chaotic qualifying session at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

In wet conditions, Lance Stroll crashed late on in Q2 with around 90 seconds left in the session.

However, the stewards waited around 45 seconds to stop the session and throw the red flag, allowing various cars to finish their laps.

Yet Max Verstappen did not benefit and his lap was stopped in sector three when the red flag was thrown.

Verstappen was 12th at the time, meaning he will start Sunday’s grand prix in P17 after his five-place grid penalty.

Verstappen told Sky Sports F1 straight after qualifying: “The car hits the wall, it needs to be a straight red. Why does it not happen straight away?

“Honestly, I let it go. It’s so stupid to talk about, it’s ridiculous.”

Red Bull boss Christian Horner was equally annoyed at the decision-making from race control.

Max Verstappen was fuming after qualifying on Sunday
Max Verstappen was fuming after qualifying on Sunday (Getty Images)

“It’s hugely frustrating,” he told Sky F1. “I don’t understand why it took so long for the red flag to come out. 40 seconds it took. It’s the second day in a row now where we’ve had very quick calls. Very, very harsh. It is what it is.

“You have to focus on the safety, it’s not about letting cars finish laps. It should be an immediate red flag. You can’t just say ‘let people finish their laps’ - Lance Stroll wasn’t trying to get that car going again. It was screwed. It’s a red flag.

“If they’d done it immediately, we’d have been 10th. If they let us finish, we’d have gone again.

“It’s been one of those mornings where nothing has gone right for us. We’d like to understand the thinking of the race director why the red flag was thrown when it was.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in