Former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde insists “sabotage” is out of the question at Red Bull, but says a rare mechanical failure that claimed Max Verstappen's life in Melbourne caused Red Bull to run off track. I pondered whether the commotion had an impact.
Red Bull started the 2024 F1 season in their usual dominant fashion with one-two finishes in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, but team principal Christian Horner was bombarded with questions about behind-the-scenes clashes. Senior advisor Helmut Marko and star driver Verstappen were unable to fully enjoy the glory.
Did the aftermath of the off-track incident trigger Red Bull's downfall?
Things cooled down a bit for the third race, the Australian Grand Prix, and Verstappen arrived aiming for a record-equaling 10th straight Grand Prix win, but those ambitions quickly fizzled.
Verstappen made a good run from pole position, but his RB20 struggled as he found himself losing the lead to Ferrari's Carlos Sainz on the next lap, before a serious right rear brake failure forced Verstappen to retire early. It was done.
Mistakes of any kind are rare for Red Bull and this was Verstappen's first DNF since his visit to Australia in 2022, but van der Garde probably blamed internal turmoil within Red Bull for leading to the serious mistake. He suggested.
“It's either a mechanical issue with the brakes or someone forgot to do something,” van der Garde told the DRS De Race Show podcast.
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“It's certainly strange that something like this happened at Red Bull now. I'm not saying it's sabotage, of course it isn't.
“But when there's confusion within a team like that, people can make mistakes. I haven't seen it in two years now. It was a very well-oiled machine. Everything ran perfectly. Ta.
“So, does this have something to do with what's happening at the top?”
After Verstappen's DNF, Red Bull were unable to maintain a 100 per cent win record, with teammate Sergio Perez stuck in fifth place. A torn visor penetrated the floor, causing a loss of downforce. Ferrari instead went one-two, with Carlos Sainz taking the win in the Charles Leclerc P2.
Yet Verstappen still leads the drivers' championship with a four-point lead over Leclerc, with Red Bull holding the same buffer over Ferrari at the top of the constructors' standings.
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