Former Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer has criticised the FIA for not red-flagging the British Grand Prix after Max Verstappen retired late in the race. He believes officials missed a chance to provide an exciting finish for fans at Silverstone.
Szafnauer argued that race control should have stopped the event following Verstappen's retirement on lap 48. The safety car was deployed, and the race concluded under those conditions with insufficient time left to resume green-flag racing.
Charles Leclerc took victory for Ferrari ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton. Szafnauer said he contacted FIA official Nikolas Tombazis to suggest a red flag, stating it would have been allowed under the rules.
"They could have easily red-flagged that race," Szafnauer said on the High Performance Racing podcast. He added that the decision could have been made for the fans without breaking regulations.
The tenth round of the 2026 season is scheduled at Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix from 17-19 July.
