25 March 2024 , 09:11
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Max Verstappen has explained what he said to a Red Bull colleague when TV cameras spotted them in a tense conversation in the team garage.
Verstappen failed to finish the Australian Grand Prix due to a brake fire which melted the rear-right corner of his RB20. Just a few minutes into the race, he was forced to pull into the pits and retire the car.
After getting out of the car and removing his helmet, he was seen in the back of the Red Bull garage in an animated discussion with a colleague. He was seen to mouth the words "stupid" and appeared to swear before walking off.
The Dutchman has now explained that conversation and revealed what he had said. "That was related to us doing a pitstop while the car was on fire. I was like, 'Why are we doing a pit stop?'" he said.
After getting over the initial frustration of his first DNF since the 2022 Melbourne race, Verstappen seemed calm about the situation. He remains the championship leader despite earning zero points and is focussed upon getting back to winning ways next time out at Suzuka.
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He said: "It excites me, in a way, because I would like to win. Of course, we had a lot of good races in a row, a lot of good reliability and I knew that the day would come that you end up having a retirement and, unfortunately, that day was today.
"We just had already a very good run of two years, right? I mean, that's already quite impressive. But of course, you never like to see it happen. But it's more important now that we understand why it happened."
After the race, team boss Christian Horner was quizzed on Verstappen's actions and the 50-year-old claimed his driver had actually been "very gracious" with his Red Bull colleagues. He said: "Obviously, a driver is going to be frustrated when he gets out of a car from a retirement.
"I think he's been very gracious with the team and all of the mechanics. It hurts everybody in the same way. It's a matter of learning from it. We've had two years with no mechanical DNFs which has been remarkable.
"It's a matter of understanding what caused it and learning from it and moving on. It's remarkable after three races that he's still leading the championship even with that DNF but, as I say, a lot of lessons to take from today."