Max Verstappen’s patience is wearing thin after he was stripped of pole in Qatar for failing to stick to the delta time.

Verstappen and pole position rival George Russell were both on preparation laps for their final attempts when Russell approached the slow-moving Verstappen near the apex of Turn 11, Russell calling it “super dangerous” over team radio after taking evasive action.

Max Verstappen ‘done with all of this at end of the season’

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

The stewards would decide to take action, issuing a rare one-place grid penalty to Verstappen, promoting Russell to pole, after deeming Verstappen to have been driving too slowly on his out-lap.

And ahead of the verdict being cast, Verstappen was not best pleased with the situation.

“We were all just driving slowly. I wouldn’t know what I could have done differently,” he said.

“The fact that I have to go [to the stewards’ office] is already very strange to me. Otherwise, next time I’ll just drive flat out too and pretend to crash [into the other car].”

“He should have braked. I braked. Just like the cars in front of me. And I don’t want to screw them. I’m honestly a bit done with all of this at the end of the season.”

Verstappen returned to the topic in the post-qualifying press conference, where Russell – who “got excited” as Verstappen put it – was also in attendance.

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“Yeah, there were two cars in front of me also making a gap, so I had to make a gap. And I knew that everyone was on a slow lap, not on a push lap,” he told the media including PlanetF1.com.

“And then I think George got excited. He wanted to pass and get around. That’s fine. I mean, everyone, of course, tries to get their position, you know, to have the best possible start to the lap.”

Russell pointed out in reply that he was just sticking to the rules.

“I was following my delta, so it was, yeah,” he replied to Verstappen, who came back with: “Next time just drive straight through!”

Russell concluded that exchange with: “I didn’t want to get penalised because we’re told to follow the delta, so…”

Qatar is a critical race weekend for Red Bull if they are to remain in the hunt to retain their Constructors’ title. Leaders McLaren are 67 points up the road and if that gap to top spot is 45 or more after the race, Red Bull are out of the running going into the Abu Dhabi season finale.

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