Max Verstappen’s premature exit from the Australian Grand Prix has been traced back to a brake malfunction, as affirmed by Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.
Verstappen, a three-time world champion, saw his race cut short within just a few laps after being overtaken by Carlos Sainz, who eventually clinched the race in his Ferrari.
Trouble brewed as smoke billowed from the right-rear corner of Verstappen’s RB20, escalating swiftly into flames as he decelerated through turns nine and 10.
The situation worsened with debris strewn across the track, extending from the penultimate corner to the pit-lane entrance, triggered by the detonation of the carbon-fiber brake shroud, colloquially referred to as the ‘cake tin.’
This marked Red Bull’s first mechanical setback since the same event two years ago. Confirming the root cause, Horner stated, “It’s a brake issue.”
“It looks like the brake has bound on pretty much from the start of the race and that’s why Max described it as like having a handbrake, which caused him to have a couple of moments.
“Then, of course, the head is building and building and building, then the result is a fire.
“We have got all the bits back now, going through all the damage and we will go through and understand what caused it.”
Verstappen’s frustration was palpable as he retired from the race, notwithstanding his remarkable dominance over the F1 field in the last 18 months.
Speaking about the initial frustration, Horner elucidated, “Obviously a driver is going to be frustrated when he gets out of a car from a retirement.
“But he’s been very gracious with the team and all the mechanics. We are all one team and that DNF hurts everyone in the same way.
“So it’s a matter of learning from it. We’ve had two years of no mechanical DNFs, which has been remarkable.
“It is a matter of understanding what’s caused it, learning from it, and moving on.
“It is remarkable after three races that he is still leading the world championship even with that DNF but a lot of lessons to take.”
