Max Verstappen has not had the perfect start to his 2022 Formula 1 season. A total of 3 races have already been held, the Bahrain, Saudi Arabian and Australian Grand Prix. Despite taking victory at the Saudi Arabian GP, ​​in the other two races the Dutch driver has had to retire his car due to mechanical problems with his power unit. Many people begin to compare his season with 2017, in which he had a total of 8 retirements, mostly due to problems with his power unit, which was Renault at the time. Over the past year, the Honda engine was seen as one of the most reliable, power was not its strongest point but it was rarely the time that an engine from the Japanese manufacturer failed. Now, with a Red Bull Powertrains power unit (guided by Honda), in 3 races they have a total of 3 retirements, a fact that is not so beneficial for the two championships. Oracle Red Bull Racing's main adviser, Dr. Helmut Marko, has confirmed that the Austrian team has confirmed the cause of the one-time world champion's retirement, however, he states that it is a huge task ahead of them if they want to repair it in time for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. “We were able to clarify the cause of the fuel leak in Max’s car. The matter is very complex. The problem is absolutely different from that of Bahrain.” Marko affirmed.

Similarly, Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner confirmed that even before Verstappen's car completely failed, the team was able to see that something was wrong with the telemetry of the number 1 car. “We could see on the data that something was wrong, and Max could smell it as well. It looks like a fuel system issue, external to the tank, so it’s gone into quarantine. The parts will return to [Honda’s headquarters in] Japan and we’ll obviously try and understand the problem as quickly as we can.”

“I think it’s all part of the evolution and development of these cars. As we learn more about the tyres, and how the car is performing, that gives you a development direction. Over the first few races, we’ve got some very good direction for the development vein for the rest of the season.”

Red Bull will try to recover from this 46-point lead between Leclerc and Verstappen and a 41-point lead between Perez and Leclerc. As for the Constructors’ Championship, right now, Ferrari has a 49-point lead over Red Bull, as the F1-75 seems to be the strongest car right now. In addition that the start of the 2022 season has been the best start of any season, ever, by Ferrari. Let’s see how the season develops.