F1 News: Max Verstappen Slams New Rules - "Extremely Dangerous"

Max Verstappen has raised a red flag about the new F1 qualifying pit lane rules, labelling them as overtly dangerous and ineffective.

Max Verstappen has unleashed a scathing critique of Formula 1's latest pit lane protocols during qualifying, declaring them as "extremely dangerous". The reigning world champion was particularly candid about the potential perils the new regulations may pose during high-speed sessions.

Key Takeaways

• Max Verstappen has cast doubts on the safety of the new F1 pit lane regulations during qualifying, describing them as "extremely dangerous" due to the potential mix of high-speed and slow-moving cars on track.
• The current regulations stipulate that drivers should not halt unnecessarily in the pit lane's fast lane and must stick to the left when creating a gap, to allow others to overtake on the right along the pit exit road, as per FIA Article 33.4.
• Verstappen criticises the rules for causing confusion and congestion during qualifying, resulting in cars dangerously slowing down or going off-track to pass, and numerous instances of cars being reported for not maintaining the minimum speed.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen did not mince his words about the fresh pit lane regulations. In a recent statement, Verstappen painted a picture of chaos, resulting from the recently implemented rules aimed at organising the flow of cars during the crucial qualifying laps.

"It was absolutely terrible.

"On this track, you have quite a long pit exit, and there are some walls.

"But on some other tracks, if we implement this, you're driving very slowly onto a straight where people are passing with 300+ [km/h]. And you're maybe driving at 15, 20 to make a gap, which is extremely dangerous."

Verstappen's agitation was evident as he highlighted the counterintuitive nature of the new regulations. The intention behind the rules seemed to be lost in their execution, with the attempt to streamline the process only leading to a tangled mess of slow-moving vehicles on the racing line. Verstappen himself admitted to veering onto the grass to bypass slower cars.

"For me, this doesn't work at all," Verstappen added.

"It just creates even more trouble. I mean, look at what was happening [in qualifying] – people going on the grass, including myself, to try and pass cars.

"It's just a mess every single qualifying, you have like six to eight cars getting noted for driving too slow with the minimum time. I don't know what we're trying to achieve.

"It's just a mess every single qualifying.

"You have like six to eight cars getting noted for driving too slow with the minimum time. I don't know what we're trying to achieve."