Christian Horner and Max Verstappen — Photo: © IMAGO

Australian Grand Prix

Red Bull boss lifts the lid on how 'frustrated' Verstappen responded to DNF

The Dutchman could not finish Sunday's Australian Grand Prix

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Monday 25 March 2024 04:00

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has revealed Max Verstappen's reaction to his Australian Grand Prix DNF.

The Dutchman was running second in the race - following a stunning overtake by Ferrari's Carlos Sainz - when he suffered an issue with his right rear brake, a mechanical failure which sent smoke spluttering from the RB20.

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It was the first time since the Australian GP in 2022 that Verstappen had not finished a race, and ended his chances of claiming a record-equalling 10th consecutive grand prix victory.

Verstappen was one of three big-name retirements from the race in Melbourne, with Lewis Hamilton also suffering a problem with his Mercedes car, and George Russell crashing out on the penultimate lap of the race.

Max Verstappen's car began smoking on lap three in Melbourne

Max Verstappen had to retire from the race

Verstappen DNF hampers title bid

Verstappen's continued drive for absolute domination over his rivals may have been expected to cause some friction with his team following such a failure, but Horner has suggested that was not the case for the three-time world champion.

"It's a brake issue and it looked like it was on since the start of the race which is why Max described it as like having a handbrake and caused him to have a couple of moments as the heat was building and building and the result is a fire," Horner told Sky Sports.

"We will go through the damage and understand what's caused it.

"A driver is always going to be frustrated when they get out of the car from a retirement. He's been very gracious with the team. That DNF hurts everyone in the same way. It's a matter of learning from it and understanding what caused it.

"Remarkable after three races he's still leading the world championship even with that DNF. A lot of lessons learned today."

Red Bull Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Christian Horner Carlos Sainz