Christian Horner raids FIA as ‘hugely frustrating’ red flag punishes Red Bull

Christian Horner said he does not understand why there was such a delay in showing the red flag at a crucial moment in the qualifying session in Brazil.

Lance Stroll’s late crash played a role in the departure of both Red Bulls in Q2, but it was race director Niels Wittich’s decision that ultimately decided their fate.

Christian Horner left confused at the race director’s red flag call

After being rained on on Saturday, F1 returned to Interlagos for a 7.30am start to try and get qualifying underway while the weather was slightly friendlier, but even with different conditions it was still a huge challenge for the drivers without less than five red flags during the extended session.

And while Lando Norris took pole, there was anger within the Red Bull camp after a controversial call from the race director sent both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez out in Q2.

With just under two minutes to go in Q2, Stroll crashed at Turn 3, but it took 40 seconds for race director Wittich to signal the red flag, making it look like Norris could set a flying lap before neutralizing the event.

That infuriated Verstappen and Horner agreed there was little point.

“It’s extremely frustrating,” he told Sky F1. “Of course a lot happens in such a session. I don’t understand why it took so long for the red flag to go out.

“It’s clearly a big accident. Turn 3, one of the most dangerous corners on the circuit. It took 40 seconds to throw the red flag and it is the second day in a row that we have called very late whether it was a VSC yesterday or the red flag today.

“The other red flags all came immediately. So look, I mean, very, very harsh, but you know what, it is what it is. We have to try to fight back this afternoon.’

That fight back starts from far back on the grid, with Verstappen being pushed to P16 for the time being due to his GI penalty, while Perez qualified 13th.

More from qualifying in Sao Paulo

Winners and losers of qualifying for the 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix

F1 starting grid: what is the grid order for the 2024 Brazilian GP?

One small saving grace is that the tight gap between qualifying and the race has meant that some of the drivers who crashed may not even be able to start the race. Alex Albon was the first to declare that too much damage had been done to his Williams, although the team has yet to confirm this.

Regarding the red flag incident, Horner reiterated that the focus should be on safety, not letting drivers finish.

“You have to focus on safety. It’s not about whether cars finish their laps or not. As soon as you have an accident like that, there should be a red flag immediately because you have a driver in the wall, one of the most dangerous corners on the circuit, cars are coming through and you can’t say, ‘Oh, well , we’ll just wait for the others to complete their laps.’

“It doesn’t work that way.

“Lance Stroll didn’t try to get that car running again. It was screwed. It hit the barrier hard. It was there in the middle of the track at Turn 3, that’s a red flag.

“If they had immediately given a red flag, Max would have been 10th. If they had marked it right away, there would be time for another round.”

Read the following: Brazilian GP: Norris adds to Verstappen’s misery in crazy qualifying session