Red Bull chief stumped by Verstappen's Australian GP troubles

Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko has said the team are trying to find the cause of the issue that led to Max Verstappen retiring from the Australian Grand Prix.

Verstappen was leading the race from pole position on the opening lap when on lap two, Carlos Sainz flew past the Dutchman with a brilliant sweeping move on the outside.

READ MORE: F1 Results Today: Australian Grand Prix times

Running in second, the three-time champion then suffered a right rear brake mechanical failure that forced him to retire from the race.

Verstappen had been hoping to equal his record of ten consecutive race victories, which he achieved in what was a dominant 2023 season.

READ MORE: Australian GP won by F1 driver still recovering from MAJOR surgery

Marko assesses Verstappen DNF

The 26-year-old’s DNF also saw the end of a run of solid reliability for Red Bull, having not retired from a grand prix since the 2022 Australian GP.

Footage captured from the Sky F1 cameras showed a dramatic moment where flames were seen coming from the right rear brake in the pits before it appeared to explode, sending debris and smoke flying into the air.

Now, the team are looking into what caused the issue, as their rivals Ferrari and McLaren took advantage and scored big points in their title hopes, while Mercedes’ woes continued with a double retirement.

But speaking with Sky Germany, Marko seemed to be confused as what was the reason Verstappen had to retire from the race.

“We don’t exactly know what happened,” he said.

“The situation took place during the lap when Sainz was overtaking [Max]. The brakes did not release, which caused him [Max] to rotate slightly, making it easier for Sainz to overtake. As a result, the break ended up getting stuck but we are still working on finding the main cause.”

READ MORE: Sainz under FIA spotlight as post-Australian GP inspection confirmed

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