Lina WilliamsMax Verstappen’s surprising outburst post-Australian GP retirement marks a fiery end to his record streak.
Max Verstappen explained why he was caught saying the words “it’s fucking stupid” right after retiring from the Australian Grand Prix.
Verstappen’s streak of 43 consecutive races in the points came to an end amidst flames at Melbourne’s Albert Park, where an issue with his RB20’s right rear brake after the early laps forced him to pit.
In the garage, a TV camera caught Verstappen uttering that phrase.
When asked if he was angry with his team, Verstappen clarified: “It was about the team being set on making a pit stop while the car was on fire.”
“I was really thinking: ‘What are we doing here? What are they thinking? That I’m going to restart?’ That’s all. They didn’t see, the explosions at the back, just flames. And so, I got a bit heated too!”
This retirement marked Verstappen’s first mechanical issue since his race in Australia two years ago and ended his bid for a 10th consecutive victory, a record he had already set last season.
The Dutchman, still leading this year’s drivers’ championship by four points over Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, also stressed that he was far from disappointed by his retirement.
“I’m not interested in such records. Of course, I want to win, but it doesn’t matter if it’s the second or the 11th consecutive victory. What matters most is winning the championship in the end.”
“Of course, I’m disappointed we didn’t finish the race because we had a good chance to win and the car improved throughout the weekend. We knew that a day like this could come at some point, so we must be proud of having had a great run with nine consecutive victories and to be able to come back stronger for Suzuka.”
“It excites me, in a way, because I’d like to win. Of course, we’ve had a lot of good races in a row, with good reliability, and I knew the day would come when we would eventually retire, and unfortunately, that day was today.”
“We’ve already had a very good streak for two years, haven’t we? I mean, that’s quite impressive. But of course, you never like to see it happen. But it’s more important now that we understand why it happened.”
The last time Verstappen failed to win a race was in Singapore last year, an experience that turned out to be motivating as he won the last seven races of the season and thus clinched his third consecutive drivers’ title.
As for whether this will inspire him to do something similar this time, Verstappen added: “No, I just feel good with the car, yesterday as well, for example.”
“We really shouldn’t have been in pole position, but the laps we did were just very good. I just want to finish another good weekend with a good feeling in the car.”
Asked about the expected upgrades for the next race in Japan, Verstappen first joked: “The colors will always be the same!”, before adding: “You’ll see!”
Verstappen Heats Up Post-Retirement: “Flames, Nothing More”. Verstappen Heats Up Post-Retirement: “Flames, Nothing More”.
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