Max Verstappen had it all to do at the returning Singapore Grand Prix, after a disastrous Q3 left the Dutchman facing an eighth place start for Sunday’s race.
Prior to his final lap in Q3, the championship leader was in desperate need of bettering his personal best at the time, due to being some way off championship rival Charles Leclerc.
Whilst his final lap wasn’t looking strong enough for pole, it would’ve most likely bumped the 25-year-old into the top four, a much better proposition than starting towards the bottom of the top 10.
However, things suddenly took a dramatic turn as the Red Bull driver was told to abort his lap and enter the pits.
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It turned out that had Verstappen completed his lap, then he wouldn’t have had enough fuel to be able to provide a sample, something which would’ve resulted in a back of the grid start.
Red Bull were purely at fault for the error, after it was revealed that Verstappen’s RB18 had only been fuelled for five laps.
Had Verstappen completed his lap, then he would’ve circulated the Marina Bay Circuit six times, meaning a fuel sample wouldn’t have been possible.
The Dutchman was absolutely furious with his Milton Keynes-based side, and as the situation unravelled forย theย championship leader, Daniel Ricciardo and George Russell watched on in the media pen at the unfolding situation.
Russell was eliminated in Q2, whilst Ricciardo was somewhat unsurprisingly eliminated in Q1.
The duo were clearly in disbelief at what happened to Verstappen, with Ricciardo potentially being left in more disbelief than the Mercedes driver due to being a former Red Bull competitor.
The video of the pair reacting to Verstappen driving into the pits was uploaded onto a Verstappen fan page via Instagram; you can virtually see Ricciardo’s jaw hitting the floor.
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Verstappen ended the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix in P7, but he nevertheless has a great chance of sealing his second Formula 1 championship at the upcoming race in Suzuka.
Meanwhile, his closest championship rivals Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc, finished in second and third, respectively.