Max Verstappen blasts Red Bull for ‘really bad’ error after X-rated rant
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A difficult weekend for F1 champions-elect Red Bull took another turn in the wrong direction when Max Verstappen was forced to abort a probable pole position lap in Singapore.
The reigning world champion looked set to pip Charles Leclerc to pole, or at least secure a place on the front row, when he was suddenly called into the pits before the end of his final lap in Q3, leaving him down in eighth place.
Red Bull were concerned that Verstappen’s car would not have had enough fuel left to provide a sample to the FIA, which could have seen him kicked out of qualifying and start at the back of the grid or from the pitlane.
READ MORE: Max Verstappen yells 'what the f***' after being told to abort pole lap by Red Bull
The incident left Verstappen furious, with the Dutchman unleashing a foul-mouthed tirade at his team over the radio.
And he had barely cooled down by the time he faced the media, telling Sky Sports F1: “We ran out of fuel. That's just incredibly frustrating and it shouldn't happen. Even when you under fuel it, you track that throughout the session that you're not going to make it. We should've seen that way earlier.
“Not happy at all at the moment. It's always a team effort. I can make mistakes and the team can make mistakes but it's never acceptable. Of course, you learn from it but this is really bad, [it] shouldn't happen.”
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On his prospects for the race, which could see him seal the championship if he wins and Ferrari hit trouble, Verstappen was downbeat.
“It’s like Monaco, it’s super hard to pass,” he said. “You can do a bit with strategy but at the moment I’m not really in the mood to think about the race tomorrow. At the moment, I'm super frustrated about what just happened.”
The incident continued a trying weekend for Red Bull amid accusations they have not complied with F1’s budget cap. If they are found guilty, the team could be hit with a penalty as serious as being thrown out of the championship.
In better news for Red Bull the team’s other driver, Sergio Perez, qualified second as the Ferrari of Leclerc took pole with Lewis Hamilton third.
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