Formula 1: Max Verstapen and Red Bull have made a catastrophic start to the 2022 season: Max Verstappen, the current Formula 1 champion, is battling to retain his RB18 Challenger. He and Red Bull have started the 2022 season on a catastrophic note after retiring two from just three races. Max saw his first retirement of the season at the Bahrain Grand Prix and then again today he had to retire from the Australian Grand Prix. Follow Formula 1 live updates on InsideSport.IN
Max Verstappen won his first F1 title since the controversial race at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last year. The Dutch driver had strong pre-season tests in Barcelona and Bahrain. He seemed comfortable for so long but lost some valuable points due to his retirement, which gave Ferrari an initial advantage.
Also read: Australian GP: Charles Leclerc wins Australian GP, Sergio Perez retains P2 as George Russell finishes P3 to get first podium in Mercedes
Formula 1: Max Verstappen and Red Bull in a catastrophic start, two retirees from three races – what went wrong?
After the Australian Grand Prix, Max said, “We are far behind Ferrari. We have to finish the race. “ Max said this on Team Radio after stopping his car on the 39th lap, “I can smell some weird liquid.”
He added, “Today was a bad day. I was managing the tires. I couldn’t fight Charles. It was a simple P2 but we didn’t finish the race. It’s frustrating and unacceptable. If you want to fight for the title, these kinds of things are unacceptable.”
LAP 39/59
Max Worstapen out of the race !!! 3
He had to retire the car after being told to stop at turn 2 by his engineer#AusGP # F1 pic.twitter.com/hLz41lNaLf
– Formula 1 (@ F1) April 10, 2022
Max was comfortably looking for a P2 finish before the fuel leaked which saw him retire his car. He has been saving his tires for a long time today and could have finished second. However, this did not happen because he had to retire on the 39th.
This is not the first time he has had to retire his car. In the season opener of the Bahrain Grand Prix, he was ready for a podium finish in P2 format. However, both Red Bull cars had to retire at the end of the race. The reason for their retirement was their energy stress problem.
Formula 1: Max Verstappen and Red Bull in a catastrophic start, two retirees from three races – what went wrong?
Read more: F1 Constructor Championship: Ferrari sits comfortably on top, Mercedes leads Red Bull by ten points – check standing
Fuel pump problems are causing some serious damage to both Verstappen and Red Bull. Both were related to leisure fuel pump problems.
This in no way helps the driver and the Red Bull because they are dropping points easily. Their arch-rival Mercedes has now overtaken them in the Constructor Championship and is 10 points ahead. Max Verstappen saw himself fall to the driver’s table as he now ranks sixth. He is three points behind fifth-ranked Hamilton.
The Red Bulls have stopped working because they have to take a closer look at what’s going wrong with them. They have a good car in the form of RB18 Challenger, but these problems are not helping them. The Red Bull has to come out with a strong answer and go over its problem.
Formula 1: Max Verstappen and Red Bull in a catastrophic start, two retirees from three races – what went wrong?
