Red Bull Racing team principal, Laurent Mekies, reacted involving Verstappen and Norris - Photo: RacePictures

Mekies reacts after Norris ruins Verstappen’s shot at Singapore GP pole

17:35, 04 Oct

Updated: 18:37, 04 Oct

bySamson Ero

Laurent Mekies has reacted to Max Verstappen’s botched final qualifying lap during the Singapore Grand Prix. The Red Bull Racing team principal also praised the work of the team back in Milton Keynes.

“We would have been quite a lot closer to George without that traffic.”

- Laurent Mekies

The 48-year-old, who spoke to Sky Sports F1 following the conclusion of qualifying, admitted that Verstappen would have been much closer to pole-sitter George Russell if not for the incident with Lando Norris.

Mekies also opted against stating that the Dutch driver would have beaten the Mercedes star to the top starting spot, had it not been for the slow McLaren.

He said: "It was a strong qualifying from Max and the team again. It's good to see some long faces when you're on the front row, and we would have been quite a lot closer to George without that traffic. But that's life.”

“I won't say we would have been in front, but for sure, Max would have been there or thereabouts. We are not on pole, but we can fight. On these types of tracks, we were not within range of pole, so it's a testament to all the hard work."

Max Verstappen in action at the Marina Bay Street Circuit - Photo: Red Bull Content Pool

Verstappen witnessed his final push lap in qualifying aborted after he appeared to catch the dirty air of the slow-moving Norris ahead of him. The Red Bull Racing driver, however, reacted to the incident during his interaction with the media.

Verstappen reacts to Singapore qualifying incident with Norris

Verstappen, who spoke to the media following his second-place finish during qualifying, hinted the incident involving Lando Norris would not be forgotten.

The Dutch driver, who continues his late surge for a fifth consecutive championship, was forced to abort what appeared to be a much quicker lap around the Marina Bay Circuit. It means he will now start the Grand Prix on Sunday in second place.

Red Bull Racing's chief advisor Helmut Marko did however hold Norris accountable for what he dubs an 'incomprehensible' move that 'blocked' Verstappen's last fast lap attempt.

On the other side of the Red Bull paddock, while Verstappen was left frustrated by what was missing out on a possible pole position, teammate Yuki Tsunoda had another challenging weekend, as he could only qualify for the Singapore Grand Prix in 15th place.

You can read the full Singapore GP qualifying report here, and catch the full results of the session here.

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