The reigning champion had fire coming out of his car
Max Verstappen was forced to retire from the Australian Grand Prix with just 19 laps to go, with fire coming from his car.
The Dutchman was in second place, behind Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, going into turn one when he pulled off the track with a suspected fluid problem. He was able to safely climb out of the car before marshals used a fire extinguisher on the Red Bull vehicle.
DISASTER FOR MAX VERSTAPPEN! 😱
The Red Bull driver is forced to retire from his second race of the season 😬 pic.twitter.com/t3KGTwdkoJ
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 10, 2022
It is the second time in three races the reigning champion has had to retire this season, having suffered a power failure in Bahrain on the opening weekend.
This has raised suspicions about the reliability of the Red Bull, with his teammate Sergio Perez not finishing in Bahrain either. The Mexican did, however, finish second behind Leclerc in Melbourne.
Leclerc claimed his second victory of the season down under, putting himself top of the drivers’ championship.
