Max Verstappen retired from the Australian Grand Prix on lap 39, but what became of the Red Bull driver? Sergio Perez was affected, or not? Max Verstappen’s title defense has been hit or miss thus far in 2022.
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In each of the three races, the Dutchman has either given up or claimed victory. A triumph in Saudi Arabia was immediately followed by a gasoline pickup problem in Bahrain.
If he places in the top half of the race at Albert Park, he will have a chance to win again in Australia. But why did Max Verstappen retire from the Australian Grand Prix and receive a DNF?
How did Max Verstappen fare?
Verstappen lined up second behind Charles Leclerc after having trouble with his RB18 all weekend. The #1 car remained in second place behind the Ferrari throughout the early safety cars and virtual safety cars in Melbourne for Carlos Sainz Jr. and Sebastian Vettel. During Vettel’s restart, Verstappen tried to overtake a sluggish Leclerc, but was unable to make it stick.
Verstappen struggled to stay up with the Monegasque and started to fade away from view. On Lap 38, Verstappen crossed the finish line first with a lead of almost eight seconds. But racing engineer GianPiero Lambiase told him to stop the vehicle at Turn 2.
Why Did They Tell Him To Stop?
Verstappen asserted that as his vehicle came to a stop, he smelled a “strange fluid” flowing from it. He promptly jumped out and sought aid from marshals with a fire extinguisher as flames could be seen coming from the back.
The problem had no effect on Sergio Perez, who placed second behind Leclerc. Verstappen is currently in fourth place with 25 points, while Leclerc leads the pack with 71 points out of a potential 78 to start the season. Lewis Hamilton is presently in fifth place with 28 points, while George Russell is in second with 37 points.
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