Verstappen Out in Q1, Starts 16th in Brazil

Max Verstappen's hopes of closing the gap in the Formula 1 drivers' championship suffered a significant setback during qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos on Friday, where the Red Bull driver was eliminated in the first session and will start 16th on the grid for Sunday's race. The result marked Verstappen's first Q1 exit in years and highlighted ongoing struggles with the team's RB21 car, which has lost pace across all track sectors despite recent upgrades.

Helmut Marko, Red Bull's motorsport advisor, described the session as a major disappointment, telling Sky Sports that the team had "gone badly wrong." He attributed the performance drop to a new floor introduced in Mexico and carried over to Brazil, which failed to deliver the anticipated improvements. "We have slowed down everywhere, lost time in all sectors," Marko said. "The damage has been done. It doesn't look good." The Austrian, aged 82, emphasized that the issues spanned the entire lap, forcing the team to analyze where their development path had diverged. In response, Red Bull plans to convene a pre-race meeting to address the situation and explore potential setup adjustments.