Red Bull admit taking too much risk with Verstappen's setup after Q1 exit

19:58, 08 Nov

Updated: 20:31, 08 Nov

bySamson Ero

Red Bull Racing team principal Laurent Mekies admitted the team took excessive risks with Max Verstappen’s setup after his Q1 elimination at the Brazil GP.

"It's fair to say we took some risks before qualifying."

- Laurent Mekies

Speaking via Sky Sports F1 after the four-time world champion’s elimination from the Brazil GP, the 48-year-old admitted the outcome of qualifying was far from what they had anticipated.

He said, "Obviously, nobody expected something like that [Q1 elimination]. We have been unhappy with the car pretty much since we got here. Nonetheless, we were at the point where we could not fight for the win, but we could fight with the group just after."

Max Verstappen suffered a Q1 elimination at the Brazil Grand Prix - Photo: Red Bull Content Pool

Further admitting the team went too far with the experimental setup changes made to Verstappen’s car, the Red Bull boss continued:

"It's fair to say we took some risks before qualifying to try to see if we could put the car in a better place, and it obviously went in the opposite direction. It's sometimes the price you pay when you take a risk."

Verstappen could only manage a 16th-place starting spot for the race. Teammate Yuki Tsunoda did not fare any better, as he could only clock a time quick enough for 19th.

Verstappen reacts to his Brazil GP qualifying exit

Verstappen also reacted after suffering a shock Q1 exit in Brazil. The 28-year-old admitted to the tricky handling of the car before stating that the team would have to analyse the cause of their dip in performance at the Sao Paulo race.

The first-round elimination marks the first time since the 2021 Russian Grand Prix that Verstappen has failed to advance past Q1.