Max Verstappen suffered his second abandonment of the 2022 Formula 1 season last Sunday in Melbourne, when the Red Bull driver was running in second position, so he was unable to attack Charles Leclerc to challenge him for victory.
After the second safety car period of the race, Verstappen decided to slow down to secure that podium spot and a further 18 points that could be very valuable at the end of the campaign in Abu Dhabi. However, on lap 39 of the 58 scheduled for the Australian event, things took a turn for the reigning world champion.
The Dutchman informed his team over the radio that he smelled a strange liquid, after which his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase , immediately ordered the driver to stop the RB18 at the side of the track. Shortly after stopping, the car caught fire, but a marshal with a fire extinguisher managed to limit the damage by quelling the high temperatures.
In Bahrain, Verstappen retired, like his teammate, Sergio Pérez, due to a fuel system mishap, and now the cause of his retirement at the Albert Park circuit is also known.
“We have been able to identify the cause of the fuel leak in Max [Verstappen’s] car,” Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko told Speedweek .
When the German media asked if the problem could be resolved in the short term, one of the greatest exponents in the sports environment of the energy drink team, did not want to answer, but confirmed that it was not related to what was seen in Sakhir.
“The case is very complex. The problem is absolutely different from that of Bahrain,” the Austrian limited himself to saying.
Verstappen’s second retirement and Leclerc’s second victory in three races left the Dutchman far from the Monegasque in the drivers’ championship.
The Red Bull driver is currently sixth overall with 25 points, while Leclerc leads with 71 points, followed by George Russell , who took his first podium of the season in Australia. Red Bull is third in the constructors’ championship, behind Ferrari and Mercedes , and they will have to solve everything that has weighed them down if they want to repeat Verstappen’s feat of 2021 and achieve their fifth team title.
