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Max Verstappen Grid Penalty: Lance Stroll Adds Salt to Red Bull Star’s Wounds

Somin Bhattacharjee
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Sprint Race F1 Grand Prix of Brazil SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - NOVEMBER 02: MAX VERSTAPPEN of ORACLE RED BULL RACING answers questions in the press conference

Max Verstappen’s Sao Paulo GP weekend keeps going from bad to worse. After a penalty-affected sprint on Saturday, an unusual qualifying session under treacherous conditions saw Verstappen get knocked out of Q2, which when coupled with his impending five-place grid penalty, created the perfect recipe for disaster. As expected, he was livid.

The three-time world champion was on an out-lap when red flags came out in the second part of qualifying because Lance Stroll lost control of his Aston Martin, spun out, and hit the barriers. Verstappen, however, questioned the timing of the red flag (as he did with the Virtual Safety Car yesterday).

“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 ********,” Verstappen said to Sky Sports.

The stewards did wait a while to assess the situation before halting proceedings, but to be fair to them, Stroll was trying to get his car running for a few seconds. The decision-makers had to be sure that he was stuck, and out of the session, while also monitoring the damage done to the barriers.

Unfortunately for Verstappen, by that time, other drivers had put in better lap times, which dropped him down to P12.

That is a bad enough starting position as it is, but to make things even more difficult, Verstappen will face a further grid drop because of taking new engine components coming into Interlagos. This means Verstappen will start from P17 on the grid.

The Red Bull driver’s championship rival Lando Norris meanwhile, got into Q3 and would be vying for a pole position. Last weekend, the McLaren driver got a 10-point advantage over Verstappen.

This weekend, if he gets a similar result, which will likely be aided by Verstappen’s 17th-place start, the previously comfortable lead held by the Dutchman will start looking fragile. Norris’ deficit is currently at 44 points.

Post Edited By:Aishwary Gaonkar

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

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Basketball Editor Somin Bhattacharjee first discovered the game during the 2014 FIBA World Cup. Not long after, he turned to the NBA and found himself drawn to the Golden State Warriors — right at the start of Stephen Curry’s rise. Over time, the admiration turned into full-blown support for the team, one that continues even as the Curry era approaches its twilight. A true hoophead, Somin also follows EuroLeague basketball closely and enjoys exploring the game beyond the NBA. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. Since 2021, he has penned over 3,000 articles for TheSportsRush, covering everything from breaking news to sharp opinion pieces and detailed exclusives. He thrives on writing about in-game moments and the reactions that make basketball a uniquely emotional sport. Beyond basketball, Somin plays different sports including soccer and remains a passionate fan of Spanish football giants Real Madrid

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