Brazilian Grand Prix qualifying may have been delayed until Sunday, but there was still plenty of big F1 news on Saturday at Interlagos – including a new tech row between Red Bull and McLaren and another penalty for Max Verstappen confirmed by the FIA.
A reminder that qualifying will now be held at 07:30 local time (10:30 UK) on Sunday with the race brought forward to 12:30 (15:30 UK)…
McLaren are among a number of teams accused by Red Bull of filling their tyres with water to prevent them from overheating during a race, it has been claimed.
A report from Germany claims that Red Bull believe McLaren are adding a small amount of water into the tyres via the valves for cooling purposes, with F1’s governing body FIA investigating the matter. It is said that F1 tyre manufacturers Pirelli have not noticed any irregularities, however.
It is claimed Red Bull themselves indulged in this tactic previously before the FIA moved to close a loophole in the regulations.
Max Verstappen has been hit with a retrospective five-second penalty for a Virtual Safety Car infringement during the Brazilian Grand Prix sprint race.
Verstappen was found to have gained a sporting advantage for exceeding his delta time as he lined up a pass on McLaren driver Oscar Piastri in the moments before the VSC period ended, dropping him to fourth in the final classification.
It means Verstappen carries a 44-point lead over Piastri’s team-mate and sprint winner Lando Norris entering Sunday’s main race in Sao Paulo.
Untelevised team radio from the Brazilian Grand Prix sprint race has uncovered the moment Liam Lawson aimed a fresh dig at under-pressure Red Bull driver Sergio Perez.
Following their heated scuffle in Mexico, Lawson and Perez battled once again during the mini race at Interlagos.
Lawson was heard airing his frustration with Perez on the cooldown lap at the end of the sprint.
