The end of qualifying in Qatar was a mess. Pierre Gasly smashed his right front tire and caused a yellow flag in the last sector. However, there was not a constant yellow flag and that caused quite a lot of confusion for a number of drivers.
Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas were the victims of this confusing situation. Both set faster laps, but then had to report to the stewards. The Finn was given a three-place grid penalty, while the Dutchman was put five places back.
Christian Horner, Verstappen’s team principal, had spoken out about the marshals in a television broadcast and called the person waving the flags a ‘rogue marshal’. but later took in those words again.
Still, it was reason enough for the stewards to arrange a meeting between the Dutchman and the relevant Marshal. The two took a picture together.
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