The 2024 season has seen Red Bull rise as the dominant force, securing victories in two races, solely through the exceptional talent of their three-time World Champion, Max Verstappen.
However, Melbourne brought unexpected disappointment for the Dutch driver, as he suffered an early retirement during the main race, catching both fans and observers off guard with the unexpected turn of events.
Max Verstappen reveals real reason behind Australian GP retirement
For the first time in two years, Max Verstappen has been put to an early retirement due to a severe mechanical failure of RB20. The spectators were completely shocked by the incident, as everyone is aware of Verstappen’s godlike driving skills.
The Dutch driver was also spotted engaging in a heated conversation with the team principal, Christian Horner, after the race. Later on, after cooling down, Verstappen finally revealed the reasons behind his premature retirement. He explained that his right rear bike had been “basically stuck on” since the lights went out to start the race.
Max Verstappen on his retirement from the Australian Grand Prix after only four laps
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) March 24, 2024
"We could see in the data as soon as lights went off, the right rear brake just stuck on,"
"The temperature just kept on increasing, it was basically driving with the handbrake on. I already… pic.twitter.com/MCfiaXqkMk
Furthermore, he stated, “It excites me, in a way, because I would like to win. Of course, we had a lot of good races in a row, a lot of good reliability and I knew that the day would come that you end up having a retirement and, unfortunately, that day was today.”
Red Bull’s performance in Australian GP
While Verstappen had to remain dormant for the rest of the race, Sergio Perez secured an honorable position in fifth place at the main race. He summed up Red Bull’s performance in Australian GP by saying, “I don’t think it was an ideal weekend for us; since Friday, we had struggled quite a bit with the long run and we tried different solutions and compromises for Saturday but we couldn’t get a total handle on it. In the first stint, the balance was super neutral; I didn’t have any rear grip and we destroyed the rear tyres. In the second stint, I completely destroyed the front tyres.”
Ferrari @ScuderiaFerrari off to a good start in 2024!! BUT will be long battle against Red Bull, who is the slightly quicker team, but they didn’t execute at #AustralianGP and we got the 1-2!! pic.twitter.com/nDgY4wPWYo
— The Biz Doc (@TomEllsworth) March 24, 2024
Before the main race, Max Verstappen had grabbed the pole position, with Checo’s position dropping from sixth to eighth after blocking Haas Nico Hulkenberg in the qualifying session. Although this event was not entirely advantageous for the two Red Bull drivers, both of them expressed optimism for the upcoming Grand Prix events of this season.
Do you think Red Bull will have a significant comeback at the next event? Let us know about your opinions in the comment section below.
