Max Verstappen issues 'stupid' red flag response after Australian Grand Prix incident

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Max Verstappen issues 'stupid' red flag response after controversial incident

Max Verstappen has his say on the FIA's refusal to red flag the Australian Grand Prix

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Monday 17 March 2025 10:52 Updated: 11:01

Max Verstappen has called out 'stupid' Formula 1 drivers after a safety car was brought out during the closing stages of the Australian Grand Prix.

The rain hit race in Melbourne saw six drivers fail to finish the first grand prix of the 2025 season, with all of them crashing out at various stages of the race.

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Jack Doohan destroyed the rear of his car on the opening lap of the race, whilst Isack Hadjar didn't even get past the formation lap before a meeting with the barriers.

The race pivoted when the rain returned to the track during the latter stages of the grand prix, where both Liam Lawson and Gabriel Bortoleto crashed and brought out a safety car before a six-lap shootout for the win at the end.

Liam Lawson did not finish his first F1 race with Red Bull

Max Verstappen calls out 'stupid' F1 drivers

Should the Australian Grand Prix have been red-flagged?

However, some questioned the decision to not red flag the session with marshals and a lorry out on track to retrieve the Red Bull and the Sauber.

The argument was that, due to the wet weather conditions, it could be easy for a car to spin and potentially hit the marshals or the lorry - with Carlos Sainz crashing under the initial safety car at the start of the race.

When asked during the post-race press conference whether the session should have been red flagged, Verstappen did not see any issue with the FIA's decision.

The Red Bull star even took his answer a step further, and suggested a driver would have to be 'stupid' to crash in such a way.

"Thought it was all fine yeah," Verstappen said abruptly.

"I mean, if you crash into that behind a safety car, you're really stupid."