Max Verstappen revealed a stuck brake caused the fire which put him out of the Australian Grand Prix.
The Red Bull driver retired on the third lap at the Albert Park circuit as a fire took hold around the right-rear brake duct on his Red Bull.“What we can see so far in the data is as soon as the lights went off, the right-rear brake just stuck on,” Verstappen told Sky. “Of course, the damage kept on increasing.”
“As soon as the lights went off, you accelerate and you can see one brake, the right-rear brake, just stuck on,” he added.
He said the car felt fine during his reconaissance laps but once the brake stuck “it was basically like driving with a handbrake on.
“That’s why already I felt like the car was really weird to drive in some corners. Just very snappy. While on the laps to the grid, the car was really spot-on and I was very happy with what we were doing. But it explains it, if the brake is stuck on that doesn’t help.”
Verstappen kept his lead from pole position at the start of the race but soon reported a poor handling balance in his car. He was passed by Carlos Sainz Jnr on lap two and smoke began to emerge from the back of the Red Bull soon afterwards.
As the smoke intensified, Verstappen slowed and headed for the pits. As he entered the pit lane a small explosion occured at the right-rear of the car, and the RB20 had to be doused in fire extinguisher as he climbed out.
Verstappen’s retirement is his first since the same race two years and 43 rounds ago. It ends his run of nine consecutive grand prix finishes.
Asked whether he had ever experienced the problem before in one of the team’s cars Verstappen said: “Not that I know of. It must have been a long time ago, maybe.”
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Forrest Gump (@forrestgump)
24th March 2024, 5:29
make my day…
:)
and that’s all I have to say about that…
fgump
BasCB (@bascb)
24th March 2024, 6:34
Thanks Red Bull from the fans – by putting the handbrake on Max you gave us a great race. Looking at Perez’ pace and how fast Sainz was all race, it could well have been a fight for the win anyway though
SteveP
24th March 2024, 7:11
Well, there you have it, folks.
A RB20 with the brakes on is faster over a lap than a Ferrari.
Do you think they could keep that up if they sort out enough cooling for the brakes?
Osnola
24th March 2024, 14:13
Tell that to perez, he should have won if the car really is the only factor.
bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
24th March 2024, 7:58
If it is how Max described (which obviously we don’t know yet) it’s remarkable he got as far as he did. The car can’t have been obviously ‘pulling’. I guess the friction must have been small, but capable of producing extreme heat, and ultimately it was the heat that did it for the car.
tielemst
24th March 2024, 10:41
Can’t imagine why they didn’t bring him in right away. There’s no way you’ll finish the race with that. Bring him in, see if you can fix it. With some miracle you could get a point, and at leest you won’t damage the car further.
Silent but Deadly
24th March 2024, 13:05
Pants on fire?
Silent but Deadly
24th March 2024, 13:08
So does he have brake lights for left and right? Does that mean he can control the brakes individually? Wasn’t that banned?
SteveR (@stever)
24th March 2024, 13:55
No, it’s certainly possible a right caliper piston(s) stuck.
Osnola
24th March 2024, 14:15
He is referring to the telemetry that logs this data.