Verstappen's Amusing Response To Middle Finger From Ferrari Fan

The triple World Champion Max Verstappen described his engagement with a Ferrari fan who showed him a middle finger during the qualifying session.

Do F1 drivers have time to look around from their cockpits during the race or qualifying? The answer seems yes, especially for the 26-year-old Red Bull Racing driver who often has time to look at screens on the side of the track to see what is happening behind him.

Apparently, drivers also have some time to look at fans. Max Verstappen described his exchange with one fan during the 2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix qualifying session.

The Dutchman revealed he was shown the middle finger by one of Ferrari's fans (who dominated the Imola Circuit in Italy) as he was going into the pits after his first flying lap in Q3.

Funny enough, Verstappen didn't hesitate to return the gesture to the Ferrari fan after his final lap of the qualifying, as he topped the timing sheets and put his Red Bull on pole for eighth consecutive time. He said:

Red Bull struggled a lot during the Friday practice sessions, and it looked like the battle for pole on Saturday would be between McLaren and Ferrari.

McLaren already showed during the weekend in Miami that they can now beat Red Bull on a race pace. Ferrari introduced a very promising upgrade, and Charles Leclerc won the first two practice sessions.

However, the team from Milton Keynes made fantastic progress throughout the night to improve their car going into FP3 and then also going from FP3 into qualifying.

Interestingly, the Austrian team probably still didn't have the fastest car, as Sergio Perez was only quick enough for P11.

Verstappen took advantage of a slipstream from Nico Hulkenberg, which allowed him to gain time in the first sector. Ultimately, his lap time was 0,074 seconds faster from Oscar Piastri in P2 and 0,091 faster from Lando Norris in P3, which would suggest the slipstream was essential for the pole position.