Sports Formula 1
Verstappen disaster – Flames come out of the car in Melbourne
As of: 07:29 a.m. | Reading time: 3 minutes
“There is smoke, blue smoke, fire, fire.”
Quelle: picture alliance/dpa/AP Pool/Scott Barbour
Carlos Sainz wins, Ferrari triumphs in Australia. For Max Verstappen, the long journey becomes a frustrating experience. “There is smoke, blue smoke, fire, fire,” he alerts the command post in the fourth round.
A brake defect caused a disaster for Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen in Australia and paved the way for Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz to his third career victory after an appendix operation. After just five laps, the Red Bull driver from the Netherlands had to park his car, which was burning at the rear, in Melbourne on Sunday, thus early burying his hope of his tenth Grand Prix victory in a row across the season. Verstappen still remains the World Cup leader.
Without the eliminated three-time world champion, Sainz won the third Grand Prix of the year ahead of his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc just two weeks after his illness-related retirement in Saudi Arabia. For the Scuderia it was the first double success since Bahrain 2022, but for Verstappen it was the first failure since 2022. At that time, a fuel leak also stopped him in Melbourne.
After just five laps it was over for Verstappen
McLaren driver Lando Norris finished third at Albert Park, thwarting the first podium for an Australian at his home race. His teammate Oscar Piastri had to be content with fourth place. Nico Hülkenberg, who started from 16th place, fought for two valuable points in ninth place in the Haas; he had previously finished tenth in Saudi Arabia.
For Verstappen, only the first lap went as usual on the outside. After his 35th career pole, the Red Bull driver got off to a good start and led the field into the first corner. But Sainz passed him in the second lap. “I lost the car, really weird,” Verstappen radioed to the pits and didn’t sound worried at first.
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That changed quickly. “There is smoke, blue smoke, fire, fire,” Verstappen alerted the command post on the fourth lap. The Dutchman’s Red Bull became slower and slower and passed to the end of the field. Flames shot out of the right rear wheel as Verstappen drove his car into the garage.
The crew put out the fire immediately, but the world champion had to park his car after just five laps. Uncomprehending and annoyed, Verstappen took off his helmet. Wearing a T-shirt, Verstappen then discussed the fiasco with his team boss Christian Horner at the command post.
A Grand Prix to forget for Lewis Hamilton too
“As soon as the lights went out, the right brake jammed, making the car difficult to drive from the start. It was very cumbersome,” Verstappen explained his exit in front of TV cameras. “If the brake is stuck, it won’t help.”
The Grand Prix in Australia was also one to forget for record world champion Lewis Hamilton. After 17 laps, the Mercedes driver had to drive onto the grass verge and park the car. An engine failure made it impossible to continue driving and the virtual safety car was briefly called out. Teammate George Russell crashed shortly before the end and sealed a weekend to forget for the Silver Arrows.
Sainz, who had delayed his first tire change for a long time, remained at the front. It was a remarkable performance from the Spaniard. In Jeddah two weeks ago he had to give his car to teenager Oliver Bearman due to illness – and he immediately came seventh. “Those were hard weeks in which I spent many days in the hospital bed,” said Sainz about the time after the procedure.
The Ferrari driver, who will have to make way for Hamilton next year, reported back in Melbourne. However, at first he had a queasy feeling as to whether he could really drive without any problems. Sainz admitted that he was “a bit rusty” and took second place in the qualification. “I almost can’t believe this,” he whispered.
But things got even better in the race. Although he had his teammate Charles Leclerc breathing down his neck for a long time, he confidently held on to the lead and celebrated his victory after 58 laps while on sick leave.
