Verstappen: New impeding rule ‘just creates more trouble’

Max Verstappen has explained why he is no fan of the new directive introduced in Brazil that forbids drivers from blocking F1’s pitlane during qualifying in a bid to create a gap with traffic on the track.

The FIA recently introduced a maximum lap time rule to minimize bottlenecks of traffic during qualifying due to drivers seeking to create space for themselves ahead of a hot lap.

But an unintended consequence of the rule now sees drivers attempting to engineer a gap in the pitlane before they join the track, including by stopping at pit exit to optimize the moment when they head out on to the circuit.

Ahead of this weekend’s round of racing at Interlagos, a new directive was published that allows drivers to create a gap between the pit exit and the second safety car line as long as they position their car as far left as possible to permit other cars to go past.

But the new protocol led to a few messy situations in Saturday’s Sprint Shootout, with Verstappen among others trying to elbow his way past a file of cars and forced to move onto the grass to do so.

• Read also: FIA clamps down on impeding – bans drivers from blocking pitlane

As far as the Dutchman is concerned, the new directive “just creates more trouble” and could prove “extremely dangerous” in some instances.

"It was absolutely terrible," Verstappen stated. "On this track, you have quite a long pit exit and there are some walls.

"But on some other tracks, if we implement this, you're driving very slowly onto a straight where people are passing with 300+ (km/h). And you're maybe driving at 15, 20 to make a gap, which is extremely dangerous.

"For me, this doesn't work at all. It just creates even more trouble. I mean, look at what was happening [in qualifying] - people going on the grass, including myself, to try and pass cars.

"It's just a mess every single qualifying, you have like six to eight cars getting noted for driving too slow with the minimum time. I don't know what we're trying to achieve."

Not all tracks are equal regarding the directive, with some venues pitlanes unadapted to the rule.

However, it is understood that the FIA could tweak the directive in the Race Directors’ notes at each round to suit a track’s specific pitlane environment.

McLaren’s Lando Norris did not object to the new rule, but the Briton was less satisfied with the maximum lap time order that was recently introduced and which caught him out on Saturday.

"I got a reprimand this morning for two cars ahead of me coming out of the pit lane, or one crossing over the safety car line, and one coming out of the pit lane at the same time.

"I can't overtake, otherwise I'm gonna be racing on a qualifying lap, which is stupid. So I have to back off, and therefore I'm below the minimum time, and I get a reprimand for that.

"It's just a silly thing - not that the stewards made the wrong decision, it's just a rule that shouldn't be in, in my opinion, because I did absolutely nothing wrong.

"I didn't block anyone, I didn't get in anyone's way. I've just not overtaken and caused a race in qualifying and I got a reprimand for that. So, just silly things.

"People do go slowly and things like that, but if you're scared of it, just go out the pit lane earlier and avoid all the queuing."

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