The Red Bull RB18 seems to be a fast car, in fact it is the only one that has managed to stand up to Ferrari, but reliability has to be put on the same level, since the problems derived from it have left Max Verstappen stranded in twice, and Sergio Pérez once.
The Bahrain Grand Prix, the opening race of the season, saw none of their cars reach the finish line. The cause was a vacuum that was created in the fuel system, due to which the gasoline did not reach the engine. Both drivers were forced to retire and lost valuable points.
In Jeddah, everything seemed rosy, as the current world champion managed to win the race, after a battle for victory with Charles Leclerc , and Pérez managed to cross the finish line in fourth position.
But in Australia the reliability problems returned. A fuel leak in Verstappen’s RB18 forced him to retire for the second time in just three races. At the end of the event, Helmut Marko , the team’s adviser, announced that Red Bull had discovered the cause.
Now, the Austrian has given more details about the problems plaguing the car.
“The problem was not in the power unit, but in the fuel supply,” Marko told ORF . “The fuel line burst under high pressure. We think that is due to porpoising. Honda have told us that we can count on the problem being fixed before the next race.”
Before leaving in Australia, Verstappen was already behind Leclerc in the general classification, but the world champion is now in sixth position, with only the 25 points he achieved in Jeddah, while what seems to be his great rival by 2022 it is comfortably seated in the first position, with 71.
Despite this big difference, it seems that Verstappen is finding it easier to assume these situations than in the past. Marko himself points out that he has improved considerably: “After retiring, he went back to the box and we talked everything calmly. But if we don’t start winning soon, then it will be a time bomb,” concluded the Austrian.
