Max Verstappen rages at ‘stupid’ red flag after disastrous F1 Brazil GP qualifying
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. I don’t understand why it needs to take 30, 40 seconds for a red flag to come out. It’s just b*******.
“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.
“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.”
