Red Bull ended up on the wrong side of things amid an eventful qualifying session for the Sao Paulo GP. With rain intensifying in Q2, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez were on the brink of elimination when Lance Stroll crashed his Aston Martin into the barriers at turn three. While it seemed a clear-cut red flag situation in wet conditions, race control waited for over half a minute to stop the session.
During this brief delay, several cars, including the McLarens, completed their laps and improved their timings. This demoted Verstappen and Perez to 12th and 13th respectively and then the red flag came out, effectively knocking them out of qualifying.
❌ ELIMINATED IN Q2 ❌
Bottas
Verstappen
Perez
Sainz
Gasly#F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/WcFOTptDzP— Formula 1 (@F1) November 3, 2024
With less than a minute remaining on the clock, they did not resume Q2 and Red Bull had to accept the terrible result. After qualifying ended, team boss Christian Horner slammed the late red flag call by the FIA. During his comments, he also dragged Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft, who was calling for the completion of laps during Q2.
As quoted on Twitter (now X), Horner said, “It was a huge accident, in one of the most dangerous corners here. It took 40 seconds for the Red Flag to come out. When there is an accident like that it should be an immediate Red Flag, in the most dangerous corner. And I know Crofty was endorsing the completion of the laps.”
“We have fallen on the wrong side of it. So, it’s tough luck”, he added.
Horner: When there is an accident like that it should be an immediate Red Flag, in the most dangerous corner. And I know Crofty was endorsing the completion of the laps.
— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) November 3, 2024
The timing of the red flag did seem bizarre, given it came out right before Verstappen and Perez were in the final sector to complete their laps. While the Dutchman wasn’t improving a lot, he could have still scraped off into the top 10, if he got the chance to complete his lap.
Verstappen also called out the red flag decision openly in his post-qualifying comments. He stated how he didn’t understand why there was the 30-second delay, given the nature of Stroll’s accident. Given he has a five-place grid penalty to serve as well, it would be natural for him to feel frustrated after seeing his qualifying ruined in such a manner.
The wider implications of Verstappen’s Q2 exit in Brazil
Verstappen was already set to have a penalty as he had to take a new internal combustion engine for the Sao Paulo GP weekend. So, he had to qualify as high as possible to secure a decent starting position in the top 10. But now due to his Q2 exit, he will have to start in the bottom half of the grid and climb his way back up.
With Alex Albon having confirmed that he will not take part in the race after his accident and Carlos Sainz supposedly going to take a pit lane start due to extensive damage to his car, Verstappen could start the Grand Prix from P15. Still, it is a highly unfavorable position for him, as his championship rival Lando Norris has taken pole position.
Norris will have a golden opportunity to win the race in Interlagos and take a big chunk out of Verstappen’s championship lead, which currently stands at 44 points. This could change the complexion of the Dutchman’s title fight against Norris with a big points swing.
In such a situation, Verstappen absolutely cannot afford to go pointless or have a DNF in Brazil. If he does, Norris’ deficit could come down to only 18 or 19 points, assuming he wins the race, and this could be detrimental to Verstappen’s hopes of winning a fourth consecutive world title.
