For the second time this weekend, race control is under scrutiny for its decision-making. A 40-second delay between Stroll hitting the barrier and the red flag being released was costly for Max Verstappen. Speaking post-session, Verstappen made his frustrations know.
Verstappen calls out red flag delay
Typically speaking, the responsibility of the FIA is to release yellow flags, Safety cars and red flags as soon as possible.
However, the last few days have seen unusual delays.
In Saturday’s Sprint Race, a significant delay after Hulkenberg’s retirement allowed McLaren to swap Norris and Piastri before the VSC.
On this occasion, the delay between Stroll’s crash and the red flag meant that Verstappen failed to reach the top 10.
Speaking to the media, Max Verstappen was unimpressed:
“The car hits the wall, it needs to be a straight red,” he told Sky Sports.
“I don’t understand why it needs to take 30-40 seconds for a red flag to come out. It’s just bullsh*t.
“Honestly, I let it go. It’s so stupid anyway to talk about. It’s ridiculous.”
To make matters worse for Max Verstappen, he must serve a 5-place grid penalty for the Grand Prix.
This means he will starts the Brazilian GP from 17th on the grid, which could have massive implications in the title race.
As explained previously on LWOS, every decision made from now until Abu Dhabi could be a game-changer.
Perhaps the only positive for Verstappen is that several drivers have crashed out in Brazil qualifying.
Alex Albon, Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll, Franco Colapinto and Carlos Sainz have all suffered huge incidents.
It is plausible that some of these drivers will start from the pit-lane, meaning that Verstappen will start from slightly higher on the grid.
Moreover, with wet conditions forecast for the rest of Sunday, there will be plenty of opportunities for the Dutchman to capitalise on.ge
