Red Bull defends Verstappen: The cause of the accident was the car!

(Motorsport-Total.com) – Did Max Verstappen want too much? The accident of the four-time world champion in the final phase of the Formula 1 qualifying in Spielberg (follow live here in the ticker) looked like a clear driving error by a driver who wanted to get everything out of the lap at all costs. But after the session, his team stands behind him and defends him.

Because according to team principal Laurent Mekies, the car was responsible for Verstappen’s crash: “The dynamics of the incident were quite unusual,” he says. “We lost aerodynamic performance at the rear axle, which left Max no chance to catch the car.”

“As a team, we take full responsibility for this and apologize to him,” says Mekies, who takes the blame for the accident on Red Bull and emphasizes: “The most important thing after this eventful qualifying is that Max is okay.”

“He delivered an excellent first lap in Q3, and his last attempt was very fast until he lost control of the car in turn 9.”

Verstappen himself also confirms his team’s statements and thus suggests that something was wrong with the car: “It’s very unfortunate what happened today in Q3, but I am fine,” says the Red Bull driver.

“I lost a lot of grip at the rear in turn 9 and the car broke away at high speed. I had an uncontrollable spin and the wheels completely locked up,” he describes.

“We lost aerodynamic performance due to damage at the rear of the car, which caused the problem. The car flew off and unfortunately the situation was no longer in my control,” says the Dutchman.

After the accident, there was a big discussion about whether the simple yellow flag was sufficient. While championship leader Kimi Antonelli aborted his lap due to the accident, his teammate George Russell only briefly lifted off the throttle and completed his lap, which earned him pole position.

Verstappen will start the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday from fifth place despite his accident.

Translated from