Max Verstappen ended his final fast lap in Q3 at Spielberg in the tire barrier
During qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen lost control of his car shortly before the end. The four-time world champion’s crash triggered a yellow flag period that could have cost third-place World Championship contender George Russell his pole position. But how did this crash happen?
Verstappen was in the thick of the battle for pole position. On his final fast lap, the Red Bull driver even managed to set the fastest time in the middle sector. But shortly after turning into Turn 9, the 28-year-old suddenly lost the rear end, and his RB22 skidded into the tire barrier at the exit of the corner.
When asked by Sky Deutschland how this accident could have happened, the four-time world champion replied: “We’ll analyze that now, because I don’t have an explanation for it yet either. What happened there is actually quite strange.”
According to Verstappen, the upgrades Red Bull brought for the Styrian Grand Prix weren’t the problem. Speaking to Sky UK, the 71-time Grand Prix winner described his spin as follows:
“There were no warning signs in the corner. Earlier in the lap, I’d already had a big scare going into Turn 6. That was definitely strange, because we hadn’t experienced anything like that so far this weekend.”
Up to that point, Verstappen and his teammate Isack Hadjar had mainly complained about the balance in Turn 3. “Then I got to Turn 9,” said Verstappen, “I turned the wheel, and [the car] was gone immediately.”
As can also be seen in the onboard footage, it was no longer possible for Verstappen to correct the situation. In the end, the Red Bull driver estimated that he could have secured third place on the grid. Instead, Verstappen will start from fifth place at his team’s home race.
According to Timo Glock, speaking on Sky Deutschland, the RB22’s bottoming out may have disrupted the aerodynamics. In his comments after qualifying, Laurent Mekies focused on the new upgrades for the RB22:
“When you bring in such a big package, it changes the car’s characteristics,” he told Sky Deutschland. “You really have to find the sweet spot.”
Nevertheless, the team principal emphasizes the progress made in terms of performance with this upgrade. When asked whether they have enough spare parts to ensure both drivers can start tomorrow, Mekies replied: “We’ll be on the starting grid tomorrow with two cars in good shape.”