Max Verstappen slams FIA for red flag delay after surprise qualifying exit at Brazilian GP

Max Verstappen voiced strong frustration with the FIA's handling of a red flag delay during qualifying at the Brazilian Grand Prix, which he claims compromised his final lap attempt. The incident unfolded after Lance Stroll crashed at Turn 2, but race director Niels Wittich delayed issuing the red flag for over 30 seconds. By the time the red flag was shown, Verstappen, running in P12, was unable to complete his lap, and both Red Bull cars were eliminated in Q2.

In a post-qualifying interview with Sky Sports, Verstappen slammed the delayed response, saying, "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 bulls**t." When informed that officials waited to allow other drivers to complete their laps, Verstappen described the decision as “ridiculous.”

This incident follows another recent ruling that didn’t favor Red Bull, involving a slow virtual safety car (VSC) during the sprint, which allowed McLaren to swap positions and maximize points for Lando Norris. Verstappen was closing in on Norris when he found himself held up behind Oscar Piastri, with the VSC ending in the final DRS zone, leaving no opportunity to overtake.

Despite the setback, Verstappen will start from P17 in Sunday’s race due to a five-place grid penalty for a new engine. He may move up in the grid order if the damaged cars of Fernando Alonso and Stroll aren’t ready to race.

The incident has sparked discussions among fans and commentators regarding the consistency of FIA decisions, with Verstappen’s criticism bringing attention to potential improvements in race incident protocols.