FIA accused of trying to sabotage Max Verstappen in Brazil by former F1 team boss
Former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan slammed the FIA after the delayed red flag cost Max Verstappen a place in Q3 in the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix qualifying. Jordan believed that the FIA dealt an unfair blow to Verstappen and put Lando Norris, his Championship protagonist, on the pedestal.
The recently concluded Brazilian GP saw Max Verstappen fail to make it to the final qualifying round for the first time this season. This has come amid a treacherous condition that saw red flags aplenty during the whole session, one of which cost the Dutchman a place in Q3.
The Red Bull star qualified in P12 after a red flag was called, which hindered his progress during the final flying lap. As a result, his starting position was down to P17 (he incurred a five-place grid penalty for taking new parts). Recalling the infamous session, Jordan slammed the former FIA race director Niels Wittich (who was reportedly removed after the Brazilian GP) and claimed that the latter knew what he was doing.
Jordan sat with fellow podcaster, and 13-time GP winner David Coulthard, in the recent Formula For Success Podcast. There, the duo spoke about the incidents that took place in the Sao Paulo GP, and Red Flag was one of them.
While speaking about the GP, Jordan asked Coulthard if the latter thought the FIA was deliberately trying to sabotage Max Verstappen (as quoted by PlanetF1):
"Are you telling me that Max was dealt a fair deal? Was he dealt a fair deal when the red flag came out six cars and seven cars later? Come on David, don’t be stupid," Jordan said.
"You know the gods are in Lando’s hands. They want Lando to win this Championship. But he’s not going to, because Max has outfoxed him. That’s it. The red flag was wrong! It was a mistake! He f***** up, didn’t he!”
While the bad-timed Red Bull caused huge frustration for Max Verstappen and Red Bull for Lando Norris, it was a blessing in disguise. The McLaren driver claimed the pole position and was frontrunner for the Grand Prix race on Sunday.
Christian Horner called out FIA's red flag decision which hampered Max Verstappen
Following the conclusion of the Sao Paulo Grand Prix qualifying, Red Bull boss Christian Horner criticized the race director Niels Wittich. Horner, in his post-session interview with Sky Sports, questioned the timing of the Red flag and said:
"It's hugely frustrating. 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."
Even though the qualifying did not go his way, Max Verstappen claimed the Sao Paulo Grand Prix victory after a scintillating display of performance amid rainy and treacherous conditions.