The Free Practise session today at the Australian Grand Prix went well for the Red Bull star boy, Max Verstappen, as he ended FP1 at P1 and FP2 at P3. But unfortunately, he broke a rule that made things a little chaotic in Red Bull. Being the fastest driver, Max Verstappen did not realize when his RB19 exceeded the speed limit given by FIA and became eligible for the penalty of paying £616 (€700).
On Friday, FIA figured out that Max Verstappen was driving at a speed of 86.4km/h in the pit lane. But the speed limit suggested by the governing body was 80km/h. Fans were afraid that Max Verstappen would now suffer a grid penalty in the weekend race. But the matter has been looked after by team Red Bull. Avoiding the grid penalty, the team accepted the fine and saved Max from facing a struggling race ahead.
The reports released by FIA suggested that Max Verstappen’s car exceeded the speed limit by 6.4km/h, which was supposed to be 80km/h, as the stewards pointed out. In accordance with article 15 of the Formula One rule book [FIA International Sporting Code], all the drivers are provided with the right to appeal a certain decision of the stewards.
Max Verstappen Explains What Red Bull Needs To Learn From The Practise Session In Australia
The exceeding speed of Formula One car often leads the drivers to collide. These enhance crashes and risk the driver’s life. Today, Max Verstappen was the first driver to complete the timesheet. But at turn four, his stunning RB19 was spinning. With some brilliant skills he has, Verstappen succeeded in preventing a collision with the wall. But he could not stay far away from the damages that the car might have faced without the luck he had.
Nevertheless, Max Verstappen was not the only driver to suffer during the practice sessions of the Australian Grand Prix. Yuki Tsunodo, Lewis Hamilton, and Lando Norris, too, struggled. The Alfa Tauri driver was facing a problem at turn one. The Mercedes star faced oversteering issues at turn nine. On the other hand, the McLaren driver suffered from the weak car in FP2.
After concluding the entire practice session of the Australian Grand Prix, one thing is clear, Red Bull’s RB19 is not issue-less. Despite being the strongest, and the fastest car, Red Bull has gear shift issues. This was first pointed out in Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. But still, it has not been recovered. Whatever was lacking in the performance, according to Max Verstappen, was not much about the car. But still, the car had a very low grip. Max figures out that the tarmac is slippery. And switching on the tyres was quite tough.
Speaking of the learnings Red Bull received from the Free Practise session of The Australian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen said, “the team never really got into a window where I felt like we were on the top of the tyres.” And this is where they need to do the research and study. However, this is not something very much concerning. It should be OKAY! as suggested by the two-time world champion.