IMAGO / Action Plus
The F1 world went into a shock when Max Verstappen had to retire from the Australian Grand Prix owing to a mechanical failure. In Lap 3 of the race, smoke started coming off the rear right of Verstappen’s car, signaling an alarm for the Dutchman. Moments later, he complained of fire, leading to Red Bull retiring the car. Speedweek quoted the words of Helmut Marko as he expressed happiness stemming from his team’s dismal outing in Australia.
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Marko claimed Red Bull‘s weekend was not off to the strongest of starts. They struggled in training and were behind some teams. Overall, the Milton Keynes-based team did not show signs of superiority everyone had become accustomed to. Hence, the Qualifying positions of both their drivers were a “fantastic team achievement.”
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“Unfortunately, our Australia weekend did not start well in the trainings. We were clearly behind. No trace of a superiority like in the first two races.”
The DNF gave way to a glum mood within the Red Bull camp. Team members were dejected with the fact that they had suffered the first mechanical DNF in nearly two years. However, the mood soon uplifted as they realized they wouldn’t have to face constant questions of winning all the races. Marko added he was “glad that this issue was resolved so early.”
Because no one expected them to struggle with reliability, Verstappen’s DNF gave fans hope of an exciting race ahead. Hardly anyone immediately believed that Verstappen was retiring from the race, bringing his 43-race point scoring streak to an end.
Max Verstappen disappointed with the DNF as Red Bull consistently improved his car
Heading into Grand Prix in Australia, Max Verstappen was confident that he could extend his winning run to 10 races. Despite a sluggish start to the weekend, the RB20 kept improving, but it would all go south for the Dutchman when the race started.
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A disappointed Verstappen spoke to the media, as APNews quoted him expressing his sentiments. The 26-year-old claimed that he knew there would come a time when he would have to retire from a race. However, he did not expect it to be the race in Australia, especially since his last retirement came at this particular venue two years ago.
Adding to his statement, Verstappen outlined the unpredictable nature of F1. With a consistently improving car, a mechanical issue was the last thing anyone expected. Meanwhile, Helmut Marko pointed out the ever-changing dynamics in the F1 world. After two dominant displays, struggling to compete at the front was something Red Bull did not expect.
Hence, Marko feels Ferrari was the clear no. 2 team behind them. Mercedes have been greatly inconsistent in the last two or three seasons. McLaren, on the other hand, works better or worse “depending on the track,” the Austrian said.
