Max Verstappen has spoken of his confusion after his crash during qualifying for theFormula 1 Australian Grand Prix, which required a trip to the medical centre.
Coming into the qualifying, questions remained over the pace of te new Red Bull, powered by its own engine in collaboration with Ford.
Practice and early Q1 laps indicated that the car has speed, even if a bit behind the leading pace set by the Mercedes of George Russell.
But Verstappen’s session came to an abrupt end later in Q1, as his Red Bull spun on the pit straight, sending the four-time world champion careering into the barrier at Turn 1.
Hitting the barrier with considerable force, he examined his fingers once out of his wrecked car, indicating some discomfort.
But Verstappen confirmed he received the all clear upon his return to the paddock.
“All good”, he said to media, including Motorsport Week.
“I just had to get some X-rays done to see if my hands were okay, but nothing was broken.”
What caused Max Verstappen to crash in Q1?
Explaining the cause of his shock crash, Verstappen indicated he became a passenger as a result of an unusual failure on his Red Bull.
“I just hit the pedal and the whole rear axle just completely locked, which with these Formula 1 cars, is very weird.
“I’ve never experienced that in my whole life.
“There are so many things that we need to look at, I think, in general, as a sport.”
Teammate Isack Hadjar fared better, finishing an impressive third on debut for Red Bull, albeit almost eight tenths of a second adrift from polesitter George Russell.
READ MORE: George Russell dominates qualifying for F1 Australian GP
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