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Red Bull have revealed that it was a vacuum in their fuel supply systems that caused both RB18s to fail in the season opener in Bahrain. Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez suffered double-DNFs after both cars failed in the closing stages of the race.
The Austrian team battled Ferrari throughout the weekend in Bahrain, with Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc claiming the top grid spots by some margin. During race conditions, however, Verstappen's RB18 developed a terminal issue, leading to early retirement for the defending world champion.
As per the team's chief talent scout and advisor Dr. Helmut Marko, Red Bull's issues on Sunday were due to a 'vacuum' in the fuel supply system. The Austrian debunked rumors that both cars had less than enough fuel in their tanks in Bahrain. Speaking to F1-Insider, he said:
“To put it simply, a vacuum in the fuel supply system caused the engine to run out of fuel. I think we can solve the problem for Saudi Arabia this weekend. Without giving exact figures, there was still enough petrol in the tank of both cars. Basically we were fast enough [in Bahrain]. We were just not able to use our potential at the decisive moment. In Saudi Arabia, we will be back at full speed and fighting for victory.”
Red Bull's Christian Horner claims team didn't have same pace as Ferrari in Bahrain
Despite being the pre-season favorites heading into the season opener, the 2021 drivers' championship-winning team failed to match Ferrari at raw pace, claims team boss Christian Horner. The Briton confessed that Red Bull underestimated the power of the undercut strategy during the 2022 F1 Bahrain GP.
Horner shared his thoughts with the media, saying:
“The problem is it’s always a balance, whatever you take out of the tire early in the stint, you lose later in the stint. I think we underestimated the undercut, but I think Ferrari had the pace today that had we got that track position, they would have made the overtake. We just didn’t quite have that pace today.”
Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc engaged in an epic wheel-to-wheel battle for almost three laps, with the Dutchman throwing his RB18 down Leclerc's inside line on each lap. While many lauded Verstappen's aggressive overtaking style, others criticized the 24-year-old for not looking after his brand new tires.
The action continues as F1 heads to Jeddah for the second edition of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
