Max Verstappen raged over the radio after the Formula 1 stewards deleted his lap times during qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix.
The short but fast Spielberg track means it is common for drivers to exceed track limits. And the stewards were very strict in applying the rules during qualifying on Friday.
Verstappen had one of his hot laps scrubbed from the timesheets in Q1, just as Valtteri Bottas span and caused a red flag. It did not prove costly as he swiftly set another very quick time to make it through to the next part of the session.
But it clearly annoyed him, especially after having another time deleted in Q2. He again managed to make up for it with another quick lap, but made his frustration clear over the radio.
"This is a joke, honestly, with these track limits. F***ing ridiculous," he complained. He wasn't the only one being affected, though, as several other drivers were also having times stripped away from them.
One of them was his team-mate Sergio Perez. The Mexican set three quick times in that second part of the session but had every one of them deleted for going over the white lines.
The result was that he failed to reach Q3 for the fourth race in a row – the first time in 15 years a Red Bull driver has not managed to qualifying the top 10 for a race.
He was just as angry as his team-mate over the radio after he was told that his time had been deleted and that he couldn't attempt another lap. "Ah s***. What a f***ing joke, with the track limits," shouted Perez.
Despite Perez's woes for Red Bull, Verstappen delivered for Christian Horner to secure top spot in qualifying on Friday. Despite his furious rant in the earlier sessions, the Dutchman kept it in the lines when it mattered to make sure he will start Sunday's race from the front grid slot again
