Max Verstappen reminisced on a “messy” Friday at the Australian Grand Prix, where the defending champion was hampered by damage to his Red Bull.
This weekend in Melbourne, the Dutchman hopes to equal the record for his tenth successive F1 race victory. Despite failing to top the timesheets in either practice session on Friday, he remains the favourite to do so.
Late in FP1, Verstappen briefly lost control of his Red Bull and drove off line. His car’s floor crashed severely on the elevated curb he drove over, causing damage that impaired its aerodynamic performance, he later confirmed.
At the end of the day’s runs, he stated: “Unfortunately [it was] a little bit messy because of what happened in FP1.” I went wide, damaging both the floor and the chassis. Unfortunately, it took a little longer to fix, causing me to lose approximately 20 minutes.
“I believe the turnaround was quite swift, given what we did as a team, therefore I was able to complete the programme. [On the] long run, I would have enjoyed a few more laps, but missing 20 minutes is how things go.
“I think it was fine. I believe Ferrari is swift, but there are a few things we can improve. So nothing insane, nothing frightening; I believe we just need to fine-tune the car slightly.”
FP1 was cut short by a serious collision for Alex Albon, who suffered substantial damage to his Williams. Lando Norris was leading the timesheets when the incident occurred, and he ended the session in that position despite a few late attempts by competitors to overtake him.
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