Red Bull Content Pool
General
'Problems Verstappen started before race with hydraulic leak'
- GPblog.com
Sunday of the Australian Grand Prix was a dramatic one for Max Verstappen. The Dutch driver crashed out for the second time this season due to problems with the reliability of his RB18. Prior to the race at Albert Park, a lot of other things did not go as desired either, as reveals Corriere.
Problems Verstappen started early on Sunday
In the morning in Melbourne, a hydraulic leak was discovered in the transmission of Verstappen's car. According to the Italian newspaper, several parts were then hastily replaced, including the auxiliary radiator (also on Perez's car), hydraulic parts and drives, including the clutch.
Verstappen's failure, however, is not due to any of these changed parts. Presumably, as previously written, the stalling of the reigning world champion is related to a large leak in the fuel supply system, which is located outside the tank. Verstappen's engine has been sent to Japan for further investigation. It is possible that the MGU-K has also been damaged.
Red Bull Powertrains has to deal with many issues with its power units in 2022 anyway. Pierre Gasly, Yuki Tsunoda and Pierre Gasly had (several) parts replaced after two Grands Prix. Only Verstappen still drove with all engine elements from the first Grand Prix in Bahrain, but it is possible that this will no longer be the case at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.