Sun Nov 03 18:00:00 UTC 2024: ## Verstappen Starts From Back of the Grid After Frustrating Qualifying in Brazil

**Sao Paulo, Brazil** – Max Verstappen’s hopes of closing the championship gap took a major hit after a chaotic qualifying session for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix left him starting from the back of the grid.

The reigning world champion was frustrated after a red flag caused by Lance Stroll’s crash in Q2 prevented him from setting a faster lap time. With a five-place grid penalty already looming for a new engine, Verstappen was effectively eliminated from the qualifying session, leaving him in P12.

“It’s unbelievable,” Verstappen said. “The car goes into the wall, clearly destroyed, but they wait 30-40 seconds so everyone else can complete their lap times. Of course, the ones behind can’t even do a lap. I can’t get my head around it.”

The red flag was one of five during a dramatic qualifying session that saw Lando Norris secure pole position for McLaren ahead of George Russell (Mercedes) and Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri).

Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez also suffered from the late red flag, finishing in P13, adding further pressure to their already difficult championship fight.

“It’s going to be hard to race from here,” Perez said. “Having 12 cars ahead of us, it will be very tricky.”

With rain forecast for the race, Verstappen faces a monumental task to recover and potentially close the points gap to championship leader Norris.

“Starting far in the back, it will be quite difficult to pass around here with all the spray,” Verstappen admitted. “But we’ll have a look.”

The Sao Paulo Grand Prix is scheduled to start at 12:30 local time on Sunday, with the anticipation for an exciting race despite Verstappen’s difficult starting position.

Read More