Max Verstappen, Red Bull, Circuit de Catalunya, 2019

Verstappen: Gearbox fault was related to Gasly’s crash

2019 F1 season

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Max Verstappen said the gearbox fault which limited his running on the final day of testing arose from his team mate’s crash yesterday.

Pierre Gasly crashed the Red Bull on his final run in the car on Thursday. Although the RB15 returned to the track in Verstappen’s hands on Friday morning, it lasted only 29 laps before a gearbox problem forced the team to end their test early.

“It’s all related to what also happened yesterday,” Verstappen told media afterwards at the Circuit de Catalunya. “It’s just a shame, we know we were just a bit limited on parts.

“But still I think the team did an amazing job to turn the car around and get out there for the 29 laps. But sometimes that’s the case unfortunately.”

Verstappen confirmed the team had replaced the gearbox ahead of today’s running, “but you’re always limited with the parts you have in testing.”

“Of course when you already have two which are destroyed it’s not going to be ideal.”

The team’s new car feels more comfortable to drive than last year’s chassis according to Verstappen.

“From my side it’s better than last year. I feel really comfortable in the car. I didn’t really have moments except the one I had in [turn] 13. But in general I’ve felt really good from the start.”

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26 comments on “Verstappen: Gearbox fault was related to Gasly’s crash”

  1. It’s all related to what also happened yesterday

    It’s just a shame, we know we were just a bit limited on parts

    Of course when you already have two which are destroyed

    I didn’t really have moments

    There you have it – initial shots fired. The excrement is going to impact the rotating airflow device during the season. It’s going to be entertaining!

    1. F1Fan-E-Racing hater
      2nd March 2019, 6:56

      Just a little joke. Whats the name of Max his new teammate?
      Pierre Crashly?

    2. Well said.

    3. Nothing to do with shots fired .. he is just telling the truth. There is a difference of blaming Gasly and analytically saying Why they had to stop the car. What else should he have done .. lie about it? He is also praising the mechanics that they were able to fix the car!

      1. @arnoudvanhouwelingen Better get used to it, we have a whole season of this type of rhetoric ahead. I’m sure wrt Mercedes and Ferrari as well.

      2. His fans will always be up his exhaust pipe, but those are specifically chosen political words. He’s urinating higher up the wall than the other dog in the house. RBR have their #1.

        1. Lol, well we do want to see competition in F1 no? Even if it comes to wall decorating talents. Maybe Max has a bigger ‘exhaust pipe.’

        2. Nobody blames Gasly, he did not crash on purpose.

  2. Yeah i thought the same.

    Feel glad for Daniel in a way, and sorry for pierre cause rbr have their no 1

    1. As with RBR, Renault won’t likely be competing for the WDC or WCC trophies, so having a designated 1 and 2 so that one doesn’t rob points from the other is of no use. Natural number 1 and 2 though? Sure. Max is the more experienced, the one engrained on the team, an apparent mega star in the making, a race winner, and PG has all that to prove so far, and is just starting out on the team and in a top level car.

      At Renault NH is the engrained one, so a natural number one on the team in that regard, albeit DR with every opportunity to best NH just as nothing will prevent PG from beating MV if he is that good. As with all pairings PG just has to outqualify Max and stay ahead of him in races, and that still doesn’t mean they’d designate PG number one, for they will have no need to ensure one driver gets the points the other one would have, if they aren’t fighting for the WDC/WCC anyway.

      Btw, don’t feel sorry for PG. He’ll be in heaven with having this glorious opportunity. He’s very lucky, and is no doubt envied by all race car drivers in the world bar LH, VB, SV, CL, and MV.

  3. Cristiano Ferreira
    1st March 2019, 21:11

    Now Gasly can say it loud again: NOW WE CAN FIGHT!

  4. “From my side it’s better than last year. I feel really comfortable in the car.”

    That’s bold.

    1. @ruliemaulana: Not anymore ;-)

      1. @jimmi-cynic Aha. But I’m the only one that survived censorship…

        1. @ruliemaulana: That’s good. After all, you set the rules for the censor sensors.

  5. Why didn’t redbull replace the gearbox? They had like 24hours.

    1. none (parts) left.

      1. Lol yeah gee why didn’t they think of that. As the article above says, they did replace the gearbox, but it was compromised too, and they lacked parts as did all the teams.

  6. That escalated quickly. Max obviously skipped the charm lessons again this year.

    1. I think the only thing that is escalating quickly is the rhetoric towards Max. Not sure what he has said to offend PG fans, but when he says it is a shame, he might well simply mean a shame that they didn’t have parts. Of course those that prefer, will assume he means it was a shame PG crashed, and while that is indeed a shame, it happens, and nobody knows that more than Max. When Max crashed last year ahead of the Monaco GP, it was a shame they couldn’t fix his car in time. Had they, the crash would have become a non-issue. Similarly, it was a shame they didn’t have enough parts yesterday. For all we know Max may be impressed with the work PG has done in testing.

      1. Well Robbie, if he was impressed, he seemed to miss the chance to say so! I’m a Max fan. I don’t think a post-F1 diplomatic career awaits him, though.

    2. So lesson one.. Do not be honest

      1. Hmm, there’s honest and there’s using a response to make sure everyone knows just how inconvenient it was and how ‘annoyed’ you are. It’s not even a criticism. Max and Pierre are going to compete, obviously, entirely up to both how they go about it. Just seems to me this was a fairly clear signal of intent.

  7. If we don’t know the question that was asked, we don’t know if he is “attacking” gasly or just answering the question.

    “Max, why didn’t you do any running in the afternoon”
    Or
    “Was the lack of running today a result of the crash yesterday?”
    Or
    “Tell us about your day”

  8. Problems for RBR already – off to a Gastly [sp] start one might say.
    And Max is off and running already – talk about the pot calling the kettle black!
    It would be justifiable if it’s a dose of karma due to Marko, Horner and VER’s persistent bashing of Renault

  9. I Don’t rate the diplomatic skills of Verstappen very high. On the other hand I don’t find him very political either. I don’t think the comments were made to put down Gasly.

    What wonders me is that Verstappen seems more positive about the Red Bull package than Gasly. The Red Bull seems to have a sharp turn in. Maybe that suit Verstappen better than Gasly

Comments are closed.