Defending F1 champion Max Verstappen broke his nine-race winning streak when the RB20’s right rear brake exploded and caught fire in Melbourne.
Verstappen won the pole, then led after the first lap at the Australian Grand Prix today, March 24, but in the second lap, he exclaimed over the radio: “I can’t control the car anymore, it’s strange.”
The three-time consecutive world champion racer let Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) surpass him at that moment. Just a few seconds later, the brake disc on the right rear wheel of the RB20 burned and then smoked. The Dutch racer still tried to run two more laps, before having to pit. On the way to the pit, the brakes also exploded, causing more intense smoke to rise.
Red Bull was somewhat lucky, when the car’s brakes exploded when no one was around. If it explodes on arrival at the pits, with the engineers standing around, they could be in danger. Engineers had to use fire extinguishers to put out the fire, causing smoke to rise in the pit.
Verstappen had to abandon the race in round five, breaking his nine-race winning streak. This is the first time his car has had problems and left the race since the 2022 Australian race.
In the post-race interview, the Dutch racer said that he felt the RB20 was not right from the start. “I felt like the right rear wheel brake was stuck, like a handbrake was working,” he said. “The situation got worse and worse, the car’s temperature increased, especially when cornering. During the warm-up before the race, the car was still good.”
F1 car brakes use a hydraulic system. When the racer steps on the brake, the hydraulic system is activated, using fluid to transmit pressure to the brake caliper (brake caliper). This clamp clamps onto the brake disc, creating friction that causes the wheel axle to slow down, reducing the wheel’s rolling speed. F1 car brake discs are made from carbon-carbon compound, resistant to high heat, but still burn.
This is not the first time Verstappen’s brake discs caught fire on the track, as this happened at Silverstone, England in 2021, right before the start. However, burst brakes are a rare occurrence in F1.
Taking advantage of Verstappen’s incident, Sainz won the Australian race, in front of teammate Charles Leclerc. The remaining driver standing on the podium is Lando Norris (McLaren).
