Wolff slams 'total idiots' after Dutch flare incident

Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes boss Toto Wolff fears a Formula One driver could face "lethal consequences" if flares are thrown on to the track at Sunday's Dutch Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen claimed pole position to the delight of his orange army after edging out Ferrari's Charles Leclerc by just 0.021 seconds at Zandvoort. Carlos Sainz starts third with Hamilton fourth.

But Saturday's action was overshadowed when Formula 1's governing FIA were forced to suspend qualifying for six minutes after an orange flare landed on the circuit just as Q2 started.

A second flare was then hurled in Q3, but the battle for pole was able to continue without an additional stoppage.

An FIA spokesperson said the individual responsible for the first flare was "identified and removed by event security". At least one arrest is understood to have been made.

On Saturday evening, race organisers issued an urgent reminder to the 105,000 fans expected for Sunday's 72-lap race that the use of flares, a phenomenon of the Verstappen era, will not be tolerated.

"It's a shame that there are a few total idiots out there who don't consider what a flare on track can do to a driver," said Mercedes team principal Wolff.

"If such a can hits you, it could have lethal consequences. The halo wouldn't help you in that.

"We looked at the camera angles and Lewis was going through the pit lane when it happened.

"I don't know if somebody threw it at him but it happened before he actually was at that point. I hope that the organisers get a grip on it with the security."

George Russell, who lines up in sixth, said: "If you run over a flare, and it is sharp, it can give you a puncture. It could cause a lot of damage.

"It would be a shame to seem them banned and stopped for good because