What happened during the closing moments of Q3 at the Red Bull Ring has become one of the biggest talking points of the Austrian Grand Prix weekend.
Former Ferrari driver delivers harsh criticism
As the Formula 1 season enters one of its busiest stretches, with race weekends coming one after another, it is easy for major incidents to fade into the background. However, the events that unfolded in the final moments of Q3 in Austria are likely to remain a subject of debate for quite some time.
The controversy centers on the display of a single yellow flag following Max Verstappen‘s off-track excursion at Turn 9. The incident has sparked widespread discussion because, under the current regulations, it is still possible for a driver to set a pole position lap after lifting off the throttle through a section where a hazardous situation exists.
In MotoGP, for example, any lap completed while a yellow flag is displayed in even a single sector is automatically cancelled. George Russell fully complied with the Formula 1 regulations and legitimately secured pole position, but former Ferrari driver Jean Alesi believes Race Control handled the situation extremely poorly.
“The race was decided by a qualifying session that had been compromised,” Jean Alesi said in his regular Tuesday column for Corriere della Sera. “Not displaying a red flag with a crashed car sitting at the side of the track makes my hair stand on end. It sends a terrible message to those racing in Formula 1, and especially to the younger generation.”
“This is not about adapting to the way Race Control operates. It is about demanding that situations like this are never allowed to happen again. It is as if Jules Bianchi’s tragedy had never happened. It is scandalous.”
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