Verstappen Rages At Race Control Decisions At Sao Paulo Qualifying: 'Ridiculous!'

Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen was fuming following the Qualifying session for the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix after he got knocked out of Q2.

The Qualifying session looked good for Max Verstappen's position in the Championship from the beginning as he set the fastest lap in Q1, and his Championship rival Lando Norris nearly got knocked out, finishing in P15.

In fact, both Red Bull cars looked really strong in the wet conditions and might perhaps be the fastest on the track. However, a red flag at the wrong time changed everything for them.

The qualifying session was packed with action, and we've seen five crashes in total: Franco Colapinto, Alex Albon, Carlos Sainz, Lance Stroll, and Fernando Alonso.

Stroll's crash came approximately 1 minute and 40 seconds before the end of Q2. At the exact point of the crash, Verstappen was in P10, which would have been enough for him to get into Q3.

However, the race control waited for a bit with a red flag, which allowed Charles Leclerc and Liam Lawson to set faster times and push the triple World Champion into P12.

Unfortunately for Verstappen, the red flag came before he was able to finish his lap, which meant it was the end of qualifying for him.

With a five-second penalty for a new engine, that would mean Verstappen should now start the race from P17 (although some drivers ahead of him, such as Albon, Alonso, and Stroll, crashed and might not be able to start the Grand Prix).

The Red Bull Racing F1 driver was fuming during the media session after the qualifying. When asked about his thoughts, he said with an annoyed and angry voice: