Max Verstappen was caught out by a red flag in qualifying at Interlagos. Lance Stroll went off the track in Q2, but the session was slow to be interrupted. When the first yellow flags were waved, Verstappen was in tenth place but moments later, Charles Leclerc knocked him out of the top 10, and therefore the qualifying places for Q3.
More than 50 seconds passed before the red flag, which allowed Liam Lawson to also move ahead of the Red Bull driver, while Lando Norris was able to move up from seventh to first place.
The day after a sprint race where some questioned the time before the Virtual Safety Car was implemented after the retirement of Nico Hülkenberg, which allowed McLaren to swap positions between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris before the neutralization of the event, Verstappen is annoyed by the time it took to display the red flag in Q2, since he concluded the session in 12th position.
“If someone goes straight into the wall, that’s an immediate red flag.”he judged at the microphone of Sky Sports F1, broadcaster of the championship in the United Kingdom. “I don't understand why you need 30 or 40 seconds to bring out a red flag…”
“I honestly don’t care, it’s really absurd to talk about it”added Verstappen, judging the situation “ridicule”.
Max Verstappen's 12th place at the end of Q2 will transform into 17th place on the starting grid, due to a five-place penalty for an engine change, and strongly compromise his chances the day after a sprint where he was classified fourth, after losing a position due to a penalty.
Despite further showers this Sunday, qualifying was able to start at the scheduled time but Lance Stroll's exit was already the third of the session, after those of Franco Colapinto in Q1 and Carlos Sainz in Q2. Fernando Alonso had an accident in Q3, causing a fourth red flag.
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