FIVE red flags sparked utter carnage during qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
And Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen created unwanted history in the dramatic session in Sao Paulo that lasted nearly TWO HOURS.
Heavy rain in Brazil had seen qualifying postponed to Sunday morning and then Franco Colapinto, Carlos Sainz, Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso and Alex Albon all crashed out in the wet.
And that triggered no fewer than five red flags in the heavily-disrupted qualifying as Lando Norris kept his composure and tyres on the track to claim an unusual pole.
But it was bad news for Hamilton and Verstappen.
The Brit came P16 in a Q1 that included Colapinto’s exit and was booted out before Verstappen had a flying lap curtailed in Q2 to be dumped out in 12th when Stroll slid off.
To make matters worse for Verstappen, he will serve a five-place grid penalty to begin in 17th in the Grand Prix.
The reigning F1 world champion and 2024 leader thumped his wheel in anger as his title hopes took a potential dent.
Verstappen and Red Bull were particularly aggrieved because the red flags were not waved immediately – and by the time they changed from yellow to red, he did not have time to complete another flying lap.
He raged: “A car hits the wall and it needs to be straight red [flag].
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“I do not understand why it needs to take 30 or 40 seconds for a red flag to come out, it is just bulls***.
“Honestly, I will let it go. It is so stupid anyway to talk about, it is ridiculous.”
And that meant neither Hamilton and Verstappen made it to Q3 in a qualifying they have both taken part in for the first time ever.
Stroll, however, did book his place in Q3 thanks to his best time before his crash.
However, he could not take part – and Alonso then sparked a fourth red flag early in Q3, leaving just eight drivers remaining.
But then Albon – sitting in provisional second – did not make it around the first turn upon the restart before a thunderous smash into the barriers to stop the session once again with three minutes 31 seconds remaining.
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Thankfully Albon immediately told his team he was okay after the heavy collision which mangled his motor and left his Williams team with a huge repair job if they are going to get the car ready for the race later on.
The fifth red flag equalled the qualifying record from the chaotic scenes at Imola in 2022.
And at the end of the hectic qualifying which ended with just seven drivers, Norris navigated the Interlagos circuit successfully and ensured he will start today’s Grand Prix at the front of the pack.
That could have huge ramifications on the 2024 drivers’ title race with Norris desperate to catch Verstappen.
The McLaren man – who won Saturday’s sprint race – knows victory in Brazil would close the 47-point gap currently between him and the man going for a fourth drivers’ title in a row.
George Russell took P2 as the track eventually started to dry out by the end while Yuk Tsunoda claimed third.
But Norris’ team-mate Oscar Piastri locked up on his final flying lap and had to settle for eighth.
