Max Verstappen found himself shouting “What the fuck?” to his Red Bull crew as lack of fuel meant he could only muster eighth in qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix.
The Dutchman’s chances of securing a second world title this weekend now look remote with closest rival Charles Leclerc first and Sergio Perez second.
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton achieved his first top-three qualifying result of the season at the Marina Bay circuit, boosting his chances of a first win of a poor campaign for the Briton.
However, Verstappen was the story of the session as he fumed at his side after being forced to give up his last pole shot due to a mistake from the Red Bull paddock.
“What the fuck is this?” What the fuck is this? ” He shouted. “What the fuck are you guys saying?
“Amazing guys, what’s this all about?”
A tough session saw drying conditions wreaking havoc on the track and in the pit lane, with drivers having to switch between intermediate and slick tires, with times steadily improving and, in Verstappen’s case, consuming additional fuel.
Supreme skill was in order throughout the top ten as the drivers mastered low grip levels around the fortified street circuit, but Verstappen continued to lose with brief wobbles.
And after his penultimate race saw an oversteer snap, the Dutchman took a final shot on pole, which was called off at the final corner over fears his Red Bull was underpowered.
Verstappen confirmed this post-session saying: “Yeah, I really felt the lap before [I could have had pole] but then they told me to abort.
“On the last lap they told me what was going to happen and we realized we were running out of fuel.
“We realized we weren’t going to make it, but we should have seen it coming.
“Of course I make mistakes and the team does, but that shouldn’t happen, it’s really bad.”
Dry conditions and an extra lap would have left Verstappen’s car on the limit, which could have resulted in a severe penalty.
If a lack of fuel had been proven during post-session scrutineering, Verstappen should have started either from the back of the grid or from the pit lane, but he will instead be eighth.