Formula 1 Styrian GP
Verstappen explains brief brake issue during Styrian GP
Max Verstappen has explained the brake issue that briefly emerged during his dominant Formula 1 victory in Sunday's Styrian Grand Prix.
Luke Smith
Edited: Jun 28, 2021, 8:03 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Verstappen led every lap at the Red Bull Ring to score his fourth win of the year and record back-to-back victories for the first time in his F1 career.
Verstappen crossed the line 35 seconds clear of title rival Lewis Hamilton in second place, having led by more than 17 seconds prior to Hamilton's late stop to pick up the fastest lap bonus point.
The only moments of concern in Verstappen's race came in the second stint when he was twice heard on team radio reporting concerns about his brake pedal and messages on his dashboard about the brake-by-wire system.
Verstappen's race engineer told him it was related to running over the kerbs at Turns 9 and 10, but Verstappen said he was not taking any kerb there.
Asked about the issue after the race, Verstappen said it was something for the team to look into during its post-race analysis.
"It quickly just fell a bit to the floor between Turn 9 and Turn 10 while braking, and then it would come back after Turn 10," Verstappen said. "So we'll look into that. But it happened two times I think."
Read Also:
- Wolff: Title race isn’t over despite end to Mercedes development
- Hamilton: Impossible to keep up with Verstappen in ‘lonely’ Styrian GP
- Styrian GP: Verstappen cruises to win ahead of Hamilton
Speaking on Sky Sports F1, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner explained that the feeling Verstappen had with the brake was due to the kerbs at the exits of the final two corners.
"I think we could see, it was what you call a bit of knock-off, where you rattle over the kerbs, the feeling the pedal goes long, and it must be a horrible feeling," Horner said. "But I think once he stayed off the kerb, that then managed, the system was much happier with that.
"It wasn't too much of a drama."
Verstappen was able to run one lap longer than Hamilton in the opening stint, and appeared to manage his tyres better after switching to the hard compound, pulling further clear towards the end of the race.
It was a sign that Red Bull had remedied its tyre management weakness that cost it against Mercedes in Spain last month, with Verstappen saying the pace advantage allowed him to look after his tyres more.
"It's all about making sure you have the tyres to the end," Verstappen said. "I do think in Barcelona we just didn't have, a bit like I think it was today, they couldn't keep up with me in terms of pace, and if you had that little bit extra of pace, you can manage your lap times a bit more.
"That just helps these tyres a lot to the end, because they're super sensitive in terms of sliding, locking, whatever, it overheats super quick. So it's all about management at the end."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Red Bull warned over Verstappen's F1 victory burnout
Next article Mercedes investigating if "wacky" set-up led to Styria struggles
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Luke Smith
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
Formula 1
Formula 1
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Formula 1
Formula 1
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
Formula 1
Formula 1
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
More from
Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen defends Chris Lulham after online abuse
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance 14 h
Max Verstappen defends Chris Lulham after online abuse
Williams has better cooling vests than anyone – Alex Albon
Formula 1
Formula 1
Williams has better cooling vests than anyone – Alex Albon
Latest news
2026 MotoGP Australian Grand Prix – How to watch, session times & more
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Indonesian GP
1 h
2026 MotoGP Australian Grand Prix – How to watch, session times & more
Zane Smith fined $50,000 by NASCAR for ramming Carson Hocevar after Phoenix Cup race
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
8 h
Zane Smith fined $50,000 by NASCAR for ramming Carson Hocevar after Phoenix Cup race
FIA expects F1 races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi to continue as planned
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
13 h
FIA expects F1 races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi to continue as planned
TDS Racing doubles down on IMSA program with two-car LMP2 return
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 13 h
TDS Racing doubles down on IMSA program with two-car LMP2 return
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe