Credits: IMAGO HochZwei

Max Verstappen’s nine-win streak came to an end after he suffered a DNF at the Australian Grand Prix. The Dutchman was forced to retire from the race after just a few laps due to an issue with his car’s right rear brake caliper. Considering the 26-year-old’s misfortune, F1 expert Ernest Knoors believes that the three-time champion and the rest of the Red Bull team could face more problems in the upcoming races.

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In an interview with the Dutch edition of Motorsport, Knoors said, “That’s a surprise, and it’s disappointing for Max. But on the other hand, it’s interesting to see what happens for the sport.” 

The reason Knoors has labeled the DNF as a ‘surprise‘ is that the fans have been used to seeing the Dutchman dominate week in and week out. Moreover, Red Bull’s cars have been extremely reliable over the past few seasons.

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Later, the analyst also mentioned that mechanical issues are relatively uncommon in these aerodynamically driven cars. However, he acknowledged that since F1 is a mechanical sport, incidents like the one Verstappen suffered occasionally happen.

Moreover, the analyst mentioned that Verstappen’s problem in Melbourne was a brake issue instead of a structural problem. Therefore, he believes that Red Bull will most likely return to the front in Japan.

However, amidst this, Knoors pointed out something unique. The expert claims that Verstappen’s retirement at the Australian GP demonstrated that the grid has converged and now the leadership may shift significantly if the Dutchman and Red Bull fail to score in the upcoming races.

For instance, Verstappen’s failure to score any points in Melbourne and Ferrari’s 1-2 finish has reduced the gap between Red Bull and the Italian outfit substantially. After the first three races, Red Bull now only leads the championship by four points.

Christian Horner believes Ferrari have made significant progress

In the new season, Ferrari has displayed some lethal pace, and with that, they have raised many eyebrows. Their improved pace has even led them to register two podiums in the first two races.

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Interestingly, following that, they secured an outstanding 1-2 finish at the Australian GP, with Carlos Sainz winning the race and Charles Leclerc finishing second. Their immense growth seems to be a matter of concern for their rivals. It is Red Bull who seem to be under the most threat.

Considering this, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has stepped forward to explain the exact cause of the issue with his drivers. Speaking first about Verstappen, Horner observed that the Dutchman’s brake issue at the beginning of the race was somewhat disappointing.

He then discussed about the Mexican driver and stated that the team discovered some floor damage on the 34-year-old’s vehicle. This issue then resulted in Perez losing a significant amount of downforce at the bottom of the vehicle. Additionally, Horner claimed that Perez also had trouble with the tires, which was ‘unusual‘ for the team.

In the end, Horner analyzed Ferrari’s one-two finish. The Briton said, “Congratulations to Carlos, especially after his appendectomy. He drove a very, very strong race and was the dominant Ferrari driver. Congratulations to him and Ferrari. The rivals have definitely closed the gap.”

Moving forward, it will be interesting to see how Red Bull handles its issues and competes against Ferrari, who seem to be staging a fantastic comeback.