Horner upset with officials after Red Bull's shock Q2 dumping
F1 News
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner is upset with Brazilian Grand Prix officials for their Q2 red flag delay. Both his drivers were dumped out of qualifying in the session after Lance Stroll crashed, and there was not enough time for either of them to complete a lap. Max Verstappen's grid penalty means that he will start the race further down the grid in 16th place provisionally, as Lando Norris secured pole position.
Horner spoke to Sky Sports immediately after the session and voiced his frustration with the decision of the officials. "A session like that, there's obviously a huge amount going on. We don't understand why it took so long for it [the red flag] to come out. It was obviously a big accident, one of the most dangerous corners on the circuit, 40 seconds it took to throw the red flag. It's the second day in a row now that we have had very late calls, whether it was the VSC yesterday or the red flag today. The other red flags were all instantaneous," Horner began.
Lance Stroll's crash, which affected both Red Bulls, was one of five incidents on Sunday morning's qualifying. Franco Colapinto, Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso and Alex Albon also had to retire from the session due to terminal damage. Sainz will now start the race from the pitlane, meaning Max Verstappen is set to start from 16th place. Albon may also not start the race entirely, so the Dutchman could gain another place.
Horner: "We've got to fight back this afternoon"
Horner continued to voice his disapproval: "Very, very harsh, but it is what it is, and we've got to try and fight back this afternoon. As soon as you have an accident like that, it should be an immediate red flag. If they had red-flagged it immediately, Max would have been 10th, and he would have had time for another lap."
Red Bull wants to 'understand' race directors' decision:
Max Verstappen was also furious with the officials due to their late decision-making. Sergio Perez was also not best pleased, and the whole Red Bull camp was left disappointed with the decision. "We would like to understand the thinking of the race director to understand why it took so long to throw that red flag," Horner concluded.
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