Red Bull looked poised for a strong result in the F1 season opener. However, Max Verstappen was forced to slow his car due to a sudden lack of power three laps from the finish. This situation forced the Dutch driver to abandon the race, before his teammate, Sergio Pérez, who at the time was third in Bahrain, did so.
Perez reported over the radio that he, too, was suffering from similar problems, before his engine gave out at the first corner of Sakhir on the final lap. Faced with this situation, Red Bull immediately suspected that the problem was related to the fuel pumps, but needed to analyze the cars before reaching a definitive conclusion.
This analysis has confirmed that the problem was caused by a vacuum that was created in its fuel system, which means that the gasoline was not reaching the engine of the Red Bull drivers.
The team has also dismissed speculation that has surfaced in recent days, theories suggesting that both drivers simply ran out of fuel.
“Both cars suffered from a lack of fuel pressure last weekend. We had the correct amount of fuel, but a vacuum prevented the pumps from sending it to the engine,” Red Bull said.
“We have taken the necessary steps to correct this problem and we do not expect any problems this weekend.”
Red Bull’s double retirement caused team boss Christian Horner to explain that this situation had been difficult for them to digest.
“I can’t remember the last time that happened to us, but it’s obviously our worst nightmare,” Horner said.
“It’s very disappointing, not only losing a podium finish to Max, but also losing a podium finish to Checo on the last lap.”
