Max Verstappen was furious with F1 officials after red flags disrupted his qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix, leaving him in a difficult starting position. The Red Bull driver, who was 12th in Q2 when the red flags came out, missed his chance to improve his time and will start 17th due to a five-place grid penalty. Verstappen criticized the race director, questioning the delay in issuing the red flag after Stroll crashed.
Though the delay did not change Norris’s progression to Q3, it left Verstappen lower on the grid. The red-flag interruptions were part of a chaotic qualifying session, with heavy rain at Interlagos causing four red flags. In Q1, Franco Colapinto spun his Williams, which led to Lewis Hamilton’s second Q1 exit in three races. Carlos Sainz crashed in Q2, triggering another red flag, and then Stroll and Alonso both hit the barriers, causing further delays.
Amid the turmoil, Lando Norris took pole position, giving him an edge in the title fight, while George Russell joined him on the front row. Yuki Tsunoda secured a surprising third, followed by Esteban Ocon in fourth, while Red Bull’s sister team shined with Liam Lawson qualifying fifth.
