Verstappen slams double yellow flags delay as "crazy" after Austria GP qualifying crash

The Dutchman spun into the barriers at Turn 9 on a lap that looked set to challenge for the front row, with the delay in upgrading to double yellows allowing the two Mercedes drivers to complete their final runs. Kimi Antonelli erroneously believed he had seen double waved yellows and slowed down, but George Russell correctly observed the single waved yellow flag and was able to complete a pole lap to jump ahead of the two Ferraris.

The decision not to immediately put out double yellows as been criticised due to the Dutchman being in the wall at a high speed section of the track. Asked for his reaction on only single yellow flags being initially shown, Verstappen told GPblog among other media outlets: "I only heard about that now, that's quite crazy."

The decision has also been a talking point with other drivers, with championship leader Antonelli saying he "doesn't know why" a double yellow flag was not shown straight away. Polesitter Russell said a single yellow was "correct", adding: “The only reason Verstappen was in the wall that far away is because he was attacking and lost the car. I think the single yellow was correct."

A single yellow flag was immediately shown after Verstappen lost control of his Red Bull and crashed out of qualifying. A single yellow flag requires a driver to lift off and exercise caution, while a double waved yellow means a driver must slow down significantly and be prepared to stop.

After the crash, race control took time to assess the level of danger to determine whether the situation needed to be upgraded to a double yellow or red flag. According to the FIA, the double yellow flag came 15 to 20 seconds after the crash, after the point of which both Mercedes drivers had gone past the scene of the accident.

The Dutchman appeared to have made a driving error for his crash, but it later emerged that an issue with his active aerodynamics caused him to have the heavy crash, making it impossible for him to keep control of his Red Bull.