30 June 2023 , 19:08
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Max Verstappen felt qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix would have looked "very silly" for Formula 1 fans watching on.
The Spielberg track is very short but also quick compared to most other on the calendar. That means, among other things, it is very easy to exceed track limits when pushing for a fast lap time.
The stewards would have been aware of this but were clearly unwilling to allow any leeway. They applied the rule militantly, deleting the laps of everyone who went over the white lines by even a millimetre.
That meant dozens of lap times were scrubbed over the course of the session. And that meant there was a wait at the end of each part of qualifying just to check whether all the times that had been set were legal.
Verstappen was caught out a couple of times himself, having laps deleted in Q1 and Q2. But he made sure to put it right on both occasions before setting the fastest lap of Q3 to secure pole position.
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Speaking about all the deletions, the Dutchman was worried for how it would have looked to those watching on from the stands and at home. "I think today looked very silly – it almost looked like we were amateurs out there," he said.
"The amount lap times that were getting deleted... I don't think it was a good look today. Of course, people can say, 'Yeah, then stay within the white lines'. Well, if it was that easy then you can take my car and try it. I don't think we're all idiots.
Christian Horner struggled to hide his annoyance with Sergio Perez for having so many laps deleted (Sky Sports)"It was very difficult because of all the track limits. We don't do this on purpose. But with these speeds and these high-speed corners, it's so hard to judge the white line really. That's why you could see today a lot of people were getting caught out, including myself."
While Verstappen got away with his track limits violations, team-mate Sergio Perez was not so lucky. He had all three of his lap in Q2 deleted meaning he starts 15th on the grid for Sunday's race, leaving team boss Christian Horner unimpressed.
He said: "He was matching Max's times... stay in the white lines! Strike one, strike two, 'Checo, just stay in the white lines'. Then strike three and he was out. So it's hugely frustrating because he could have been there and he could have done it."