Formula 1 makes a stop in Japan after a round with a different script than usual. Max Verstappen’s retirement in Australia, 44 GPs later, has brought to light issues related to reliability at Red Bull.
These topics were the focus of questions directed at the Dutchman during Suzuka’s media day. Verstappen reiterated that what happened in Melbourne was an isolated problem and expressed no concerns heading into the upcoming race weekend.
“On Saturday in Melbourne, we had already noticed some things that perhaps didn’t work as they should have,” explained Max Verstappen, referring to the issues from the last GP.
He then revealed a behind-the-scenes detail about the brake problem that caused his retirement early in the previous GP, emphasizing the importance of the team understanding the issue: “It’s always annoying to fail, but it would be worse if there was something really wrong with the car itself.
“That’s not the case. So I’m not worried. We need to learn from this and make sure it doesn’t happen again, but normally it won’t be like this.”
Verstappen expressed confidence in reliability, stating that the spotlight is now on performance but also mentioning procedural changes to avoid similar issues: “The brake problem wasn’t a real failure, but we clearly had to work on it to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
“We decided to change procedures to prevent it from happening again.”
The retirement in Australia was caused by a glitch in the hydraulic line managed by Brake By Wire, a major component produced by Red Bull itself.
Human error occurred during the BBW ignition, in that crucial initial setup phase, only emerging during the race, at high speeds and consequently with more extreme use of the braking system.
Verstappen on Newey: “If he were to leave, he would take a lot of knowledge about ground-effect cars with him.”
On Thursday in Suzuka, Max Verstappen also commented on recent rumors about Aston Martin’s possible interest in Adrian Newey.
Max distanced himself from the topic but highlighted Newey’s importance to the Milton Keynes team: “I can emphasize that everyone should remain united within the team, but if someone wants to leave, you can’t always stop them.
“I haven’t spoken to Adrian about it, to be honest, nor do I know what’s going on. I don’t deal with these things either. And then I don’t feel like reading all these stories. I would like Adrian to stay with the team, rather than go to another team.
“In that case, he would take with him a lot of knowledge, especially regarding ground-effect cars.”
Regarding Ferrari’s success in Melbourne, the world champion then emphasized how the Scuderia has been the only team so far to challenge Red Bull’s performance, but he noted the difficulty in clearly defining the gap between the two teams: “In general, Ferrari is our real, big rival.
“So far, it definitely has been,” said Verstappen, adding his thoughts on a potential internal rivalry between Ferrari’s two drivers: “Both Ferrari drivers are fast, so I think it mainly depends on who can be consistent throughout the season, regarding who between Leclerc and Sainz will be our biggest threat.”
