Credits: Imago/Motorsport Images
The 2024 Australian GP saw an incredible Max Verstappen stat come to an end. He finished in the points for 43 consecutive races before, but a DNF in Australia put a stop to that run. After careful assessment, a rear right brake’s mechanical failure turned out to be the reason behind the three-time world champion’s retirement. However, per a report from SoyMotor, the brake supplier, Brembo, has denied responsibility for the issue.
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A couple of days after the race, Brembo assured that they had no direct responsibility for the DNF. They denied any anomaly in their product or in the material that they used to manufacture the same. Hence, the Italian brand claimed it had more to do with Red Bull‘s setup. Referring to the same, Christian Horner explained how things unfolded from Red Bull’s perspective. It felt very hard to Max Verstappen, who claimed it was like having a handbrake.
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Suffering their first mechanical DNF in two years, Horner said the issue was a matter of understanding and moving on. Furthermore, he claimed that the team was assessing all of the damage to understand what caused the issue with the brakes. The British boss further added that the DNF hurt everyone on the team, and they are all hard at work to learn from it.
Incidentally, Verstappen’s last DNF also came in Australia two years ago due to issues with his car’s fuel pump. Then, from the 2022 Emilia Romagna GP onwards, Verstappen finished in the top 10 in 43 consecutive races.
Max Verstappen explains the cause of his early retirement in Australia
In Australia, Max Verstappen looked smooth as ever from the getaway line, building a lead over Carlos Sainz after the first few corners. However, the Spanish driver had little problem in overtaking the race leader eventually, accomplishing the move on the first try itself. Verstappen complained about an issue with his car immediately after and kept dropping in pace.
Soon, his car caught fire and he retired from the race. Appearing for media duties post the Australian GP, Verstappen spoke about the brake issues that plagued his weekend.
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As quoted by the official website of F1, the Dutchman claimed that not finishing a race was not an ideal scenario. “Of course you always want to finish the races.” However, he added that F1 was a mechanical sport, and these things happen.
Hence, Verstappen believes that the most important element for his team is to move on from the DNF. Dwelling on their mistakes will do them little favor, and with 21 races still to go in the season, the team’s focus needs to be on what is yet to come.
