Verstappen questions single yellow flag shown after his high-speed Red Bull Ring crash

Max Verstappen challenged the FIA’s flag protocol after crashing heavily at Turn 9 during Austrian Grand Prix qualifying at the Red Bull Ring, saying it was “crazy” that double yellow flags were not shown sooner at one of the circuit’s fastest sections.

Verstappen lost control of his RB22 on the entry to Turn 9 after already suffering a significant snap three corners earlier. The rear of the car stepped out immediately on turn-in, sending him into the barrier with a sizeable impact. Speaking in the media pen afterwards, the Dutchman said he was physically fine — adding with a smile, “Well, as good as it can be.”

Told that only a single yellow had initially been displayed, the four-time world champion did not hide his surprise. “I only heard about that now. That’s quite crazy,” he said.

The FIA explained that standard procedure was followed. At the moment marshals observed Verstappen losing control while still on track, a single yellow flag was immediately shown. Race control then assessed the level of danger — once the car had made contact with the barrier — before deciding whether to upgrade to double yellows or a red flag. According to the FIA, that upgrade was issued 15 to 20 seconds after the first yellow, by which point both George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli had already passed the scene.

The timing had direct consequences for the closing moments of qualifying. Antonelli abandoned his flying lap after Verstappen’s crash, a decision the championship leader described as “a mistake” — he had expected double yellows to be in place and believed Antonelli would have had to abort regardless. Verstappen estimated he would otherwise have qualified third, behind both Mercedes drivers.

Russell, who took pole position, saw the situation very differently. The Mercedes driver said he had not spotted Verstappen’s car at all and assumed the Red Bull had been able to continue.

“It’s a corner where you can see quite a lot. I just did a huge lift and I was going to assess the situation as soon as I got to the corner, if the car was there. But as it was a single yellow, I was pretty confident there was no danger,” Russell said. “And as soon as I turned into the corner, I already saw the green up ahead. I actually thought the car had continued because I didn’t see the car at all. It was so far off the track.”