- Max Verstappen retired early from the race after technical issues with his car
- He says all this is frustrating and the focus should be on completing all races
- He adds that Red Bull engineers have a lot to do
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen is “gutted” following a loss at the Australian Grand Prix which Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc won.
Verstappen retired due to mechanical troubles. The Dutchman began second and finished second behind Leclerc.
Due to technical troubles, Verstappen had to park the car alongside the course on lap 39.
Verstappen has failed to complete two races this season. Leclerc won his second race of the season. Sergio Perez finished second, followed by George Russell, who took his first podium for Mercedes.
HOW DID MAX VERSTAPPEN REACT TO HIS LOSS AT AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX?
The Redbull driver described what happened as “gutting and frustrating.”
“Gutted. Very frustrating to end another race like this as we were looking at an easy P2. Congrats to Sergio Perez on scoring another podium. We have to work hard the coming days to get on top of things and improve for Imola,” he said.
There was still work being done on Max’ RB18 just prior to the start of the race, thus his withdrawal was not entirely unexpected.
He says such issues must be addressed if he is to finish all his races. He
“I knew there was a problem. It was always going to be a question mark if we were finishing the race, but these kinds of things cannot happen if you want to fight for the title.”
“I cannot think of the championship at the moment, first we have to finish races. We had to retire twice so we ware miles away.”
WHAT WENT DOWN AT AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX?
As they approached Turn 1, Leclerc maintained his pole position ahead of Verstappen, Hamilton, Perez, Russell, and Lando Norris.
Norris’ McLaren slid back from fourth to fifth as a result of his team’s poor start, which saw him lose position.
Carlos Sainz Jr.’s second Ferrari started on the hard tyre and struggled severely off the start line, slipping to 14th place on the first lap.
Once Kevin Magnussen made a move on Magnussen, he turned and slammed into the wall at Turn 10, bringing out the safety car.
After a restart, Perez used DRS to gain third place from Hamilton by the time they reached Turn 3 on Lap 10.
Max Verstappen. Photo/Eurosport
As early as the 12th lap, Verstappen began to experience tyre problems as Leclerc extended his lead to nearly four seconds. During lap 19 of the race, Verstappen’s car suffered sensor troubles and he was nearly 8s behind the leaders.
Fernando Alonso’s Alpine, which started on the hards, passed Pierre Gasly’s AlphaTauri for ninth at Turn 3 as Max Verstappen rejoined. When Perez began to struggle for grip, Hamilton was right on top of him, and he pitted on lap 21.
During the 22nd lap, all of the medium starters switched to hards, including Leclerc and Hamilton. The Red Bull driver passed Hamilton on the outside of Turn 9 after he overtook him on the inside.
To help Sebastian Vettel’s Aston Martin stop on track, a second safety car was needed, with Russell taking advantage to perform his pit stop under yellow and rise to third place in the standings. Alonso, Perez, and Hamilton were right behind him, with Alonso the only one who had stopped.
Max Verstappen signs new contract with Red Bull. Photo/Sky Sports
Verstappen launched a fierce attack on Leclerc, but Ferrari’s championship leader clung to his position and subsequently retook the lead. Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas both overtook Alonso for fourth place on lap 30.
Verstappen was forced to stop his car after a technical breakdown on lap 37, which allowed Perez to overtake Russell and take second place two laps later. Marcos Alonso and Magnussen both pitted from their respective positions in the top 10 as marshals dealt with his car.
At this point in the race, Leclerc had a 12-second lead over Perez and was followed by Russell, Hamilton, Norris, and Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren).
In order to secure his second victory of the season and increase his championship lead, Ferrari’s driver was focused on setting the fastest lap.
The runner-up, Perez, had a late grassy off and finished over 20 seconds behind the winner.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login